Men’s Basketball: Terriers’ Late Push Not Enough in Loss Against Holy Cross
By Brendan Galvin
The Boston University Men’s Basketball team was unsuccessful in their comeback attempt in an 82-70 loss to Holy Cross on Wednesday night at Case Gym.
In a game where the Terriers (10-14, 3-8 PL) never held a lead, it was the sharp shooting of the Crusaders (8-16, 5-6 PL) that was the deciding factor. Holy Cross shot a collective 29-for-53 (55%) from the field, including a scorching 13-for-22 (59%) from behind the arc.
On the other hand, it was yet another cold day shooting for BU, going 26-for-60 (43%) from the field and 3-for-17 (18%) from deep.
“We’re not making shots and I refuse to believe that this is the best we are, including myself,” BU Head Coach Joe Jones said postgame. “I just think we’re all better than this.”
One bright spot for the Terriers was a signature performance from senior forward Nevin Zink, who totaled 25 points and four rebounds.
Consistently late in the game, Zink was able to bury his defender in the paint and connect on the hook shot to keep the team within shouting distance.
“It was good to see,” Jones said. “Tonight he looked like the guy that we thought he could be coming in.”
For Holy Cross, junior guard Joe Octave and freshman guard Will Batchelder were lights out from deep, combining for 48 points and shooting a collective 12-for-15 (80%) from behind the arc.
Batchelder opened the game with two quick threes, helping Holy Cross jump out to an early lead.
While the Crusaders continued to knock down shots, leading by as much as 21 points, the Terriers just could not get a shot to fall. It was not until 15:06 left in the second half when junior guard Daman Tate connected on a three that the team hit their first 3-point shot of the night.
Jonas Harper connected on another 3-pointer seven minutes later, with only one more ensuing shot from deep falling for the Terriers.
As they have all season, the Terriers were able to make another late push, cutting the lead to six with 4:30 left in the game. Still, graduate guard Walter Whyte missed the front end of a one-and-one, and Holy Cross was able to knock down a three on the following possession.
The team couldn’t come up with a key stop late in the game, and the Crusaders took advantage of the Terrier’s miscues.
Before the game, graduate guard Jonas Harper was honored for scoring his 1000th career point on January 19th against Navy.
“He’s a guy you’re going to miss,” Jones said.
“He plays with a lot of heart and a lot of effort. He’s a great teammate and a terrific kid. He’s someone that has left a mark here,” Jones said.
But Coach Jones knows the team still has a lot of work to do, with the Patriot League Tournament on the horizon.
“We’re not holding up our end of the bargain, playing here and working at BU. We’re better than this, and BU is better than this,” Jones said. “This has been disappointing, but also an embarrassment, too.”
“We have to get it done, no excuses,” Jones said.
The Terriers will look to get back on track on Saturday when they travel to Baltimore to take on Loyola Maryland at 5 p.m.