Men’s Basketball: BU finds stable ground with dominant win over Army
By: Ethan Fuller
Something clicked for Boston University men’s basketball on Saturday. The defending Patriot League champion Terriers, who had underwhelmed throughout most of the 2021 season, looked like the defending Patriot League champions.
In a controlling 75-63 win over Army, BU notched a season-high 15 three-pointers, moved the ball with purpose and stamped down the Black Knights for most of the afternoon. The Terriers improved to 6-9 on the season and dropped PL North foe Army to 6-7 in conference play (10-8 overall).
It felt like a familiar win for coach Joe Jones.
“They looked like a Boston University basketball team today,” he said. “They played hard, they played for each other, they were accountable, [and] we were selfless. Those are the characteristics of our program.”
Junior guard Jonas Harper, who entered Saturday hitting less than 31 percent of his threes, splashed home six of nine looks as part of a career-high 18 points to go with six rebounds and three assists. He catalyzed a blistering Terrier offense that made 15 of 27 three-point attempts. Nearly everyone was feeling the heat at West Point.
“We were able to find him,” Jones said. “It’s just a matter of time before guys start making shots… guys that can shoot are gonna make shots.”
BU swiped the lead from Army early on in the contest and never looked back, carrying a 41-24 advantage into halftime and leading by as much as 20 points. Though the Black Knights tried to mount a comeback, led by 17 points from Alex King, they never returned within eight points.
Senior forward Walter Whyte and junior center Jack Hemphill each notched 11 points apiece to join Harper in double figures. The Terrier bench outscored Army 26-8 in the contest, and Jones heaped unprompted praise on his second unit.
“Those guys off the bench, they came in and played their role,” he said.
It’s been a long shortened season for the Terriers. After dropping a senior night contest against Holy Cross, Jones knew the team needed to reflect — starting with himself.
“I was a huge part of why we were so inconsistent, and I needed to be a better leader,” he said.
“I got emotional. I got emotional before we left. We actually left [for West Point] later than we wanted to because I was driving some points home… We haven’t played up to the capability we’re capable of, and we gotta look ourselves in the mirror, and it starts with me,” he added.
The Patriot League seeding race comes down to the wire on Sunday. BU sits sixth entering its culminating regular season rematch with Army. A win locks them in as the fifth seed for the postseason. With a loss, the Terriers wait on Bucknell vs. American to determine seeds.
More important to the team is the momentum generated by Saturday’s win. After discovering what Joe Jones describes as BU’s brand of basketball, now the Terriers have to display some mental fortitude and put multiple games together. Sunday’s test comes at 3:00 p.m.
“You gotta be able to play with some rhythm,” Jones said. “Tonight, we played with rhythm, and we hadn’t played like that in a long time.”