Men’s Basketball: Terriers fall to 0-3 after loss at Howard

Featured Image by Hannah Yoshinaga

By Brendan Galvin

After taking a seven-point lead halfway through the second half, BU surrendered eight-straight points to Howard forward Seth Towns, quickly giving up that advantage. It was downhill from there.

The Boston University men’s basketball team could not keep up with Howard University (2-2) and fell to 0-3 on their young season in a 64-53 loss on Tuesday night in Washington D.C.

It was a slow start for both teams, as they shot a combined 14-52 in the first half. Yet, the Terriers still led 24-23 at the break.

The Bison, however, were able to slowly wear down BU’s defense and knock down shots in the second half, running away with the game late.

“For a good portion of the game, we played with the level of physicality we needed to play with to win,” BU head coach Joe Jones said. “But Howard just wore us down, and they really controlled the paint.”

After shooting just 19.2 percent from the field in the first half, Howard answered with a solid second half, connecting on 50 percent of their shots.

The Bison’s physicality earned them constant trips to the free-throw line, shooting 20-26 from the stripe. In stark comparison, the Terriers shot just 7-11. Jones added that his team allowed Howard to put their heads down and play “bully ball,” to draw trips to the line.

Junior guard Bryce Harris led the way for Howard, scoring 19 points and bringing in nine rebounds.

Still, Towns, a graduate student, gave Howard the much-needed push late in the game they couldn’t find during the first half. He totaled 13 points, 10 of which came in the second half. He connected from behind the arc on three occasions.

Jones added that BU’s inexperience continued to be a thorn in their side.

“The way we play, everyone’s touching [the ball], so we have to get that under control,” he said. “We had one guy with five (turnovers) and one guy with three; our forwards are turning it over a lot.”

Jones referred to sophomore forward Nico Nobili and freshman forward Matai Baptiste, whom the team relied on heavily throughout its first three games.

Nobili turned in a solid performance, scoring nine points, hauling in three rebounds, and dishing out five assists. BU was able to share the wealth, as nine of the eleven Terriers that played were able to score.

While Howard improved its shooting between halves, the Terriers regressed, which ultimately led to the loss. The physical Bison wore Jones’ team down and added to BU’s inability to convert on shots near the rim, an area Jones said his team needs to be successful.

“If we get Nico and Otto finishing better, I think we’re a completely different team,” he said. “But until we can score the ball at the basket, it makes the game really hard.”

The Terriers now return home after an ugly 0-3 start on the road.

“The Northeastern game and this game were winnable games, but you have to make the plays to win it,” Jones said. “We’re going to have to learn how to make plays when things get tough, and we’re going to have to execute at a higher level.”

BU will now look for its first win of the season on Thursday against Bryant University at Case Gym. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.