Men’s Basketball: Terriers Continue to Struggle with Third Straight Loss Against UCLA

Featured image by Spirit Veron

By Aniya Sumner

Boston University Men’s Basketball (0-3, 0-0 PL) ended their time on the West Coast with a rough 71-40 loss against UCLA (2-1, 0-0 B1G) on Monday night, making it the third straight loss for the Terriers. 

“I give UCLA a lot of credit. I knew they would come out and play with a lot of force,” Head Coach Joe Jones said in an opening statement. “I thought they used their length and athleticism. We just didn’t have enough guys who could dribble or pass. It was very hard to run our offense.” 

The Terriers flew out the gate with a level of intensity that seemed promising, giving the impression that the team could hold up against the 11-time NCAA champions. However, the same intensity was coupled with a slew of turnovers (three) within the first five minutes of the game.

UCLA continued to establish themselves physically throughout the first half, pressing the Terriers relatively early and forcing BU to take challenging shots against the Bruins’ aggressive man defense. 

“They made us play faster than we wanted to. They were taking the passes away from us. We really struggled with that,” Jones explained. “Bottom line is, when you’re under that type of pressure and being sped up and really can’t get open, it doesn’t mean anything.”

BU made only 28% of their field goals in the game, including a 2-for-11 effort from three-point range. The Terriers’ struggled with connecting, scoring only 16 points in the first half and falling behind 39-22 at halftime. A buzzer-beating dunk from the Bruins’ William Kyle III would sent the Terriers back into the locker room with a lot to think about. 

Heading into the second half, UCLA stepped out continuing to press the Terriers despite leading with over 20 points. The Bruins’ showed no signs of slowing down either, going on a 11-0 run in the first five minutes of the half. 

The Terriers were able to hold the Bruins to 35.7 field goal percentage in the second half, nearly ten percent less than the first. However, any glimpses of momentum from the Terriers that would chip away at the score was quickly short-sided by the Bruins’ defensive rebounding efforts. 

UCLA’s sophomore Aday Mara and junior William Kyle III would combine for 13 rebounds, giving the Bruins’ the rebounding advantage (36-28) and an established presence in the paint on both sides of the court. 

Despite the game finishing in a tough 71-40 loss, BU earned a season-high nine steals in the game, two of which coming from sophomore guard Kyrone Alexander who led the game with 10 points. Terrier guards graduate student Miles Brewster and junior Ben Roy aided in the rally with each sharing two steals along with three assists.

“I don’t think anyone played very well offensively, but [Alexander] was a bright spot,” Jones said after being asked about the standout offense. 

Along with UCLA’s standout defense, the Bruins’ well-rounded offensive performance, spearheaded by sophomore standout Eric Dailey Jr. and senior guard Lazar Stefanovic, who both finished the game with 13 points, also contributed to the 31-point deficit.

“It doesn’t really matter what we ran, I’m proud of our effort,” Jones said. “The guys played really hard and they were not afraid to compete.”

The Terriers look to grab their first win of the season as they return home to host Dartmouth on Saturday Nov. 16, with tipoff at 1 p.m. and streaming available on ESPN+.