Men’s Basketball: Terriers drop third straight in Cream City Classic
By Aniya Sumner
Boston University Men’s Basketball (4-4) fell short to the UC Davis Aggies (6-2) Monday afternoon with a 81-70 loss in overtime.
Graduate guard Jonas Harper led the team with 21 points and one assist, and graduate guard Walter Whyte followed right behind with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The first half proved to be consequential to the Terriers’ loss as UC Davis finished the half with a double-digit lead at 43-21. BU’s steady pace throughout the game failed to match well with UC Davis’ aggressive and fast-paced playing style.
The Aggies’ attacking offense broke down any efforts from the Terriers to create an effective zone defense, scoring 22 points in the paint and 10 off of fast breaks in the first half. BU had a much harder time finding the basket as the team managed to reach double-digits with only five minutes left in the first half.
The Terriers continued to struggle defensively, giving the Aggies’ guard Ty Johnson the most points of the game (27). However, it took BU no time at all to switch up to man-defense and press the Aggies’ guard, allowing for better control on defense.
Gaining some control on the pace of the game, BU scored 10 points in the last few minutes of the half. However, the late effort did not match up against the 17-0 run by the Aggies earlier on in the half.
The gap between the two teams grew much closer in the second half, where the Terriers dominated offensively, shooting more than 55% on the floor. BU’s high shot percentage and explosive drives to the basket allowed for the Terriers to have the most points in the paint (26), further closing the score gap.
BU also capitalized on UC Davis’ offensive mistakes, scoring nine points off turnovers in the second half. Whyte narrowed the gap even more after going on a 8-0 run in the middle of the half, allowing the Terriers to keep the momentum going.
The change in defensive strategies paid off in the second half as BU forced six turnovers and managed to keep UC Davis to only 23 points in the entire half.
Although BU took control of the second half, the Terriers were still at a big disadvantage as Harper, the team’s leading scorer, led the team in personal fouls (4). Adding insult to injury, senior forward Nevin Zink, who played a huge role on defense, also had only one more foul left to give.
Nonetheless, the Terrier’s hustle in the last five minutes of the second half was enough to get a 66-66 tie, earning BU another chance to take down UC Davis in overtime.
Both teams were scoreless in the first two minutes, but a series of fouls and turnovers by UC Davis gave BU their first lead of the game. The advantage was short lived, however, as BU exchanged fouls of their own, forcing both Harper and Zink to return to the bench after fouling out.
A late 10-0 run by the Aggies ultimately ended any hopes for BU to come home with the win, making it BU’s third loss in the Cream City Classic.
The Terriers look to break the losing streak as they travel north on Friday to play Merrimack at 7 p.m.