Men’s Basketball: Terriers fall to UConn, Big East Preseason Player of the Year Sanogo

By Sam Robb O’Hagan

Boston University Men’s Basketball (1-1) couldn’t recover after a dominant start from the Connecticut Huskies (2-0), losing their first game of the 2022-23 season 86-57 at Gampel Pavilion.

UConn, led by Big East Preseason Player of the Year Adama Sanogo, opened their second game of the season on a convincing 20-2 run, relentlessly attacking the paint and asserting themselves on the offensive glass.

“We got the wind taken out of us,” BU Head Coach Joe Jones said about his team’s performance in Storrs. “We haven’t faced that type of athleticism yet.”

The Terriers’ offense was helpless out of the gates in creating any penetration towards the basket, and they were ice-cold from the field, starting the first half 0-8 and turning the ball over three times on their first four possessions.

BU’s offensive production stuttered to life in the last 10 minutes of the first half as their defense began to find its feet; the Terriers’ first two made field goals came after an impressive defensive possession that bled the shot-clock and a steal from senior guard Fletcher Tynen.

The Terrier defense consistently forced turnovers throughout the game, including an impressive steal and layup from senior guard Ethan Brittian-Watts that prompted an immediate UConn timeout in the opening minutes of the second half.

Jones knows he needs more from his team on defense. 

“I don’t think there’s much for me to say I feel good about,” Jones said of the Terriers’ defensive performance.

Brittian-Watts’ steal, one of three for the senior, brought the Terriers within 14 points with 14:30 left in the second half, before the Huskies pulled away in a run led by threes from Joey Calcaterra and Alex Karaban. 

Those crucial shots were a sudden change in the source of the Huskies’ offensive production, who dominated the paint in the first-half through Sanogo and 7 -foot-1 freshman center Donovan Clingan. The pair was an obvious mismatch with the Terriers’ bigs, the tallest of which was sophomore forward Malcom Chemizie at 6-foot-8.

Sanogo and Clingan combined for 37 points and 32 rebounds, leading the Huskies to a commanding performance on the glass that included 11 offensive rebounds. Sanogo’s dominance in the paint was supplemented with two made threes, after refraining from a single 3-point attempt in the Huskies’ first game of the season.

Graduate guard Walter Whyte built on his excellent 27 point, 13 rebound opening night, finishing with 19 points on over 50% shooting from the field while playing the entire game before Jones waved the white flag in the closing minutes. 

“He’s like a son, he really is,” Jones said of Whyte, noting that he’s been in the program for half of his coaching tenure at BU. “Obviously, he’s an outstanding player.”

Whyte’s second-straight impressive performance, notably, came without a made three after making six against Northeastern.

“He did a good job of getting to the basket and scoring at the basket,” Jones said. “We were able to post him up a couple of times.”

Whyte wasn’t the only significant contributor on offense. Junior guard Damon Tate provided 11 points off the bench and was perfect from behind the arc (2-for-2). Tynen scored eight and was a reliable jump-shooter all night long. 

But the Terriers aren’t taking any moral victories from their trip to one of college basketball’s most historic programs.

“Our energy and attitude has to be better when things aren’t going well,” Jones said.

“I think we had some guys that were, you know, making excuses. We got to get past that.”

The Terriers will look to bounce back as they return to Case Gymnasium on Monday Night for a matchup with Johnson & Wales, tipping off at 7 p.m.