Men’s Basketball Notebook: Terriers suffocated by Milwaukee in second game of Cream City Classic
By Sam Robb O’Hagan
Boston University Men’s Basketball (4-3) lost their second game of the Cream City Classic 67-46 to the Milwaukee Panthers (4-3) in a thoroughly inferior offensive performance.
The Terrier offense looked convincingly outmatched throughout the game, scoring just 13 points in the first half on four made field goals. BU found some light in the second half, but still finished an ugly 15-for-58 from the field (25.9%) for 46 points, their lowest output of the season.
The root of the offensive struggles was worryingly familiar. The Terriers’ bigs were again significantly outplayed, this time by Milwaukee’s trio of Ahmad Rand, Jalen Johnson and 7-foot-1 Moses Bol — the cousin of former NBA center Manute Bol and current NBA center Bol Bol.
The Panthers dominated the paint throughout, recording four blocks and assuming so much control down low that BU appeared largely unwilling to attempt to penetrate offensively, settling for contested jumpers and 3-point attempts late in the shot clock.
An agonizing shooting drought — BU’s first made jumper came from graduate guard Walter Whyte over 13 minutes into the game — only compounded a disheartening night on the offensive end.
But the problems start and end down low.
Sophomore forward Malcom Chimezie, just 6-foot-8, showed promise as the only Terrier big to really put up a fight, finishing with three offensive rebounds and earning four trips to the free throw line.
His performance was acknowledged by Head Coach Joe Jones through 18 minutes on the floor, the most he’s played all season.
Whyte got his head back above water after a 1-for-15 shooting performance on Saturday, finishing with 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting, but again failing to make a three after an electric start to the season.
Junior guard Damon Tate continued to provide reliable shooting off the bench, scoring eight with a made three — one of only three made 3-pointers for the Terriers on 26 attempts.
For all of the evident work needed on offense, the Terriers were encouragingly impressive defensively. Despite trailing by 19 at halftime, Milwaukee scored just 32 points in the first period and struggled to consistently create opportune looks before the game opened up down the stretch of the second half.
Milwaukee’s bigs dominated on defense, but beyond Rand, struggled to produce offensively as Bol finished with four points and Johnson with two. That’s a welcome change for Jones’ team, who have struggled to defend opposing size all season long.
Throw in 13 forced turnovers, and BU’s defense provides a building block going into their last of three games at the Cream City Classic against UC Davis on Monday at 2 P.M.
Even in their worst loss of the young season, Chimezie and their defense point the Terriers to light at the end of the tunnel.
But to get there, Jones’ team will need to find a reliable way to penetrate opposing defenses. If they can find the answer, it will ease the stress on overly relied upon shooters in their most extreme slump of the 2022 season.