Men’s Basketball: Terriers lose at UAlbany, fall to 0-5 on the road

Featured image by Jacob Ireland

By Alexa Podalsky

What could have been another win for an inexperienced Boston University men’s basketball team (2-5) became a game of mistakes against the University of Albany (4-3). The Terriers added their biggest win of the season over the weekend but traded it with an 86-72 loss on Wednesday night in Albany.

BU is struggling, and this game was no different. The Terriers only made 39 percent of their field goals and 28 percent of their 3-pointers. 

One of the team’s most experienced players, junior forward Malcolm Chimezie, watched from the sidelines during the first four games of the season as he battled an injury. He returned on November 21, and during their 90-49 win against VTSU Johnson five days later, he scored a career-high 17 points.

But despite the return of Chimezie, who scored eight points off the bench on Wednesday, one of the biggest holes in BU’s team is the lack of experience in their starting lineup. 

“It’s an awesome group of guys, but we are inexperienced,” head coach Joe Jones said postgame.

At the beginning of the game, neither team was able to consistently make baskets, as BU played great defense. At multiple points, they set up an impenetrable force that prevented any layups and forced the Great Danes to get creative. 

UAlbany made 14 of their 28 3-pointers throughout the game as an alternative to attacking the paint.

“We were trying to contain the ball, so we knew there was potential for some other guys to make shots,” Jones said.

At points in the first half, the Terriers were playing against themselves. UAlbany recorded five steals in the first half alone. That, plus BU’s inability to capitalize on shots from behind the 3-point line, is what set the Great Danes ahead 37-28 at the half.

BU came out of halftime trying to correct their mistakes — they prevented turnovers early in the second half and began to close the nine-point gap.

As the half raged on, UAlbany’s athleticism left BU in the dust as they held a 66-55 lead with under six minutes to play. Redshirt sophomore guard Amar’e Marshall, who was responsible for four steals throughout the game, gave the Great Danes that 11-point lead with a highlight-reel dunk in transition after intercepting a Terrier pass.

With every point scored by BU, UAlbany responded and held their lead strong.

Sophomore UAlbany forward Jonathan Beagle struggled to stay out of foul trouble late in the second half, fouling sophomore BU forward Nico Nobili twice after Marshall’s dunk, helping the Terriers to pull within six points.

But much like Beagle, the Terriers struggled with foul trouble themselves, sending the Great Danes to the free throw line 37 times. UAlbany made 22 of their foul shots.

UAlbany maintained control of the game as the final seconds waned, securing their fourth win of the season by 14 points after a late run.

“If you put them on the line 37 times, I don’t care, in any game, like that’s almost impossible to win,” Jones said. 

BU is now 0-5 on the road to start the season.

“We’ve only played two games at home. Everything else has been on the road, so I think it has been hard for us to get that confidence,” Jones said.

Tensions rose on BU’s bench when Chimezie was carried off the court after rolling his ankle late in the second half. He didn’t return to the game and his condition was still unknown during Jones’ postgame press conference, but the head coach said he hopes the forward will be ready to go this weekend.

BU will move on to play Sacred Heart University on Saturday in Fairfield, Connecticut. The 2 p.m. game will be available on the NEC Front Row network.