Men’s Basketball: Heartbreak at the Roof: BU blows a 21-point lead and falls in OT to Lehigh in the Patriot League Semifinals
By Henry Dinh-Price
BOSTON – BU had a trip to the Patriot League Championship Game in its grasp. It was 20 minutes away.
The Terriers shot 15-of-27 and 11-of-19 from 3 in the first half. They built up a 21-point advantage and led by 18 at the break.
Case Gym was buzzing. The crowd was full of smiles. It was the perfect first half.
But it all came crashing down. At the final buzzer, it was Lehigh celebrating in front of the CBS Sports Network camera crew. It was the Terriers with hands on their heads confused about how they let it slip away.
The Lehigh Mountain Hawks (14-17, 9-9 PL) stunned the Boston University Terriers (16-17, 10-8 PL), 84-79, in overtime, ending BU’s season and slashing its hopes of an NCAA Tournament berth on Sunday.
“That was one that, you know, kind of no one deserves to lose,” head coach Joe Jones said.
The Terriers made 16-of-31 3s. Those 16 3s in a single game tied a school record. Senior forward Anthony Morales led BU with a career-high 27 points. He made 7-of-12 3s.
But it was all overshadowed by the Cam Gillus show. Lehigh’s freshman guard averaged just 4.7 points per game this season. But on Sunday, he exploded for 30 on 9-of-12 shooting and 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. His previous career high was 12.
“The kid Gillus was outstanding. Oh my goodness, man. He was, wow, he was fantastic,” Jones said.
BU came out firing with a barrage of 3s in the first half. BU’s previous season-high for 3s in a game was nine. It buried 11 before halftime.
Shot after shot. Everything was falling for the Terriers.
Back-to-back triples from Morales gave BU a 13-5 lead. On the next possession, he made a left-handed driving layup to stretch the lead to double digits and force Lehigh head coach Brett Reed to call timeout.
Freshman guard Michael McNair, who has been in and out of BU’s rotation, followed it up with two 3s to put the Terriers ahead 21-8 with 12:15 remaining in the first half.
“I was so happy for him. So happy,” Jones said.
The Terriers then made 6 of their last 7 3s to end the half. Each shot felt more astonishing than the last.
The most stunning: Morales was swallowed up at the top of the key as the shot clock was winding down. Stuck in a straight jacket, he hoisted a prayer and banked it in. The roars from the Case Gym crowd were thunderous as BU took a 37-17 lead.
At halftime, BU led 46-28.
“This is the issue, right? So you go into halftime. You’re up 18,” Jones said. “And you know you made some shots that you’re like, ‘oh my god, like that’s not really good offense.’ It’s just you got talented guys.
“But you know, that’s not how you’re going to end up winning the game.”
After finding the bottom of the net so often in the first half, the Terriers had a lid over the rim to start the second.
Freshman guard Kyrone Alexander hit a corner 3 just under two minutes into the half. It gave BU a 49-30 lead. After that, the Terriers went scoreless for almost seven minutes.
Lehigh went on a 12-0 run, cutting its deficit to just seven.
“We didn’t start the first four minutes well. They get momentum,” Morales said.
Morales finally ended the scoring drought with a right-wing 3 off a baseline inbounds play. It put BU ahead 52-42.
But Gillus responded with back-to-back 3s to cut Lehigh’s deficit to four.
“You knew they weren’t gonna quit. I told our staff, I thought we’d be better off having like a six-point lead at the half because it just becomes really mental when you’re leading like that,” Jones said.
“The mental part of the game kind of changes because then they’re coming after you, and you’re trying to like, hold on.”
A midrange jumper from junior guard Keith Higgins gave the Mountain Hawks their first lead, 55-54, with 7:25 remaining. It capped off an extended 27-8 run to begin the second half.
BU regained a lead with two free throws from Morales and a corner 3 by Alexander. But again, Gillus answered with back-to-back 3s to put Lehigh ahead 61-59 with five minutes remaining.
“The freshman Gillus, he just killed us,” Morales said.
On its next offensive possession, Lehigh found Higgins at the top of the key with one second on the shot clock. Higgins, forced to heave, buried the long-range 3 as the shot clock buzzer expired. His prayer gave Lehigh a five-point edge.
With 2:26 remaining, junior guard Tyler Whitney-Sydney knocked down two free throws to put Lehigh up 68-62, its largest lead.
BU had an answer. Alexander knocked down two free throws to cut it to four. A layup from sophomore forward Nico Nobili cut it to two. Then, BU forced a turnover on Gillus, giving itself a chance to regain the lead.
The Terriers found Morales open on the right wing, and he drilled the go-ahead 3. 69-68 BU with just over a minute remaining. Booming cheers filled Case Gym.
“He’s an all-league player. He just didn’t get a chance to play enough to, you know, to earn the spot,” Jones said. “But I mean, obviously, you saw tonight how talented that kid is.”
Down by one, Gillus got to the line for the Mountain Hawks. He drained both free throws and put Lehigh back up by one, 70-69.
BU needed an answer. It found a lifeline when senior guard Miles Brewster got tripped with 3.9 seconds remaining.
Brewster went to the line. He could win it and send BU to the Patriot League Championship Game with two free throws.
It felt like destiny. The ball was in the hands of BU’s team captain, its point guard, and its unquestioned leader.
Not to mention, he delivered in the same position on Feb. 3 when his two go-ahead free throws with four seconds left gave BU a 72-71 victory over Lehigh.
It was deja vu. It was poetic. It was a full-circle moment.
But after making the first free throw to tie it at 70, Brewster short-armed the second, sending the game to overtime.
Brewster’s miss was one of 10 points that BU left empty at the line. BU only made 11-of-21 free throws.
“That was a big deal. That was a big deal,” Jones said. “You miss free throws in these types of games. (It’s) hard to win because the teams are good.”
Lehigh started the overtime period on a 6-2 run. A Higgins and-one layup over Brewster put the Mountain Hawks ahead 76-72.
Layups from Brewster and Nobili tied it at 76-76 with just 2:23 remaining.
Whitney-Sydney got into the lane for a go-ahead floater with 1:05 left. Morales tried to answer with a step-back 3, but he came up with nothing but air.
Then, with BU needing a stop, Whitney-Sydney drove through the lane and hit a running floater. It gave Lehigh an 80-76 lead with 19 seconds remaining.
“He’s as good as any guard in this league,” Jones said. “He’s got high major athleticism and quickness and skill level. He’s a tough dude to guard, and he’s outstanding.”
Brewster tried to answer quickly but was whistled for an offensive foul on his drive to the rim with 12 seconds left.
Whitney-Sydney (21 points) closed it at the line, and Lehigh came away with an 84-79 victory to punch its spot in the Patriot League Championship Game against Colgate.
“We had our chances to win it. We couldn’t seal it,” Jones said.
It is a gut punch and a half. After struggling for most of the season, BU went on a six-game win streak – its first in eight seasons – in the final stretch. It felt like this could be a team of destiny.
“Out of all the teams I’ve had, this is by far one of my favorites,” Jones said. “And probably the most coachable group I’ve ever coached.”
The growth was evident. It inspired belief. It brought the most unexpected turnaround. But ultimately, Sunday’s game is one that BU’s players and coaches will never forget.
“It’s just a hard way to lose. You know, a playoff game. It’s never gonna leave you,” Jones said. “The guys will look back and feel like we let one get away.”
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