Men’s Basketball: Florida State survives in OT over BU

Javante McCoy drives against a Gordon College defender Nov. 12, 2021. Boston University took Florida State University to overtime Wednesday, but lost 81-80. JOE EACHUS/ WTBU SPORTS

By Matthew Meusel 

Despite a game-tying three from Anthony Morales as the buzzer sounded in regulation, BU
(4-3, 0-0 PL) fell to Florida State (5-1, 0-0 ACC) 81-80 Wednesday night in Tallahassee.

A put-back layup from Seminoles freshman Matthew Cleveland with 2.1 seconds left in overtime secured the Florida State win.

“We just wanted to stick around, stick around, stick around and we did,” said BU Head Coach Joe Jones.

Jones said he knew the game would be filled with a lot of runs because of the talent the Seminoles have on their roster, but if the Terriers stuck to their game plan, they would be in a position to win.

Things looked bleak for BU with 48 seconds to go trailing 69-61. Missed free throws by FSU and clutch three-point shooting from fifth-year guard Javante McCoy and sophomore forward Anthony Morales resulted in 10 Terrier points down the stretch to force overtime.

“I’m definitely proud. We can build off a game like this,” said Jones.

McCoy led all scorers with 22 on an efficient 9-of-15 shooting night. The Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year has certainly lived up to expectations through the first seven games this season, averaging 16.9 points per game.

A major concern for the Terriers through the first three weeks of the season has been turnovers. Despite 19 more turnovers Wednesday night, BU was able to deal with the pressure from FSU during important moments to hang in until the very end. 

Sukhmail Mathon added 16 points and hauled in 12 rebounds for his seventh career double-double. Daman Tate was the third Terrier in double digits with 12 points, knocking down two threes from behind the arc.

“It’s a L on the schedule but I think it’s a win in other ways because you proved you can play on an ACC floor and go toe to toe with them,” said Jones.

The depth of BU proved again to be one of the strengths of the team. The bench added 24 points and nine Terrier players found themselves in the scoring column. 

The Seminoles’ Cleveland and Caleb Mills led FSU in scoring with 17 points each. Cam’Ron Fletcher and Anthony Polite each added 11. Though FSU struggled to reign in BU shooters, the Seminoles remained active on the defensive end, snagging 12 total steals. 

The Terriers have not defeated an ACC team since Dec. 3, 2011, when they beat Boston College 75-61. 

BU will return home to play Merrimack on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Case Gym.