Men’s Basketball: Terriers Take Down Colgate in Thrilling OT Victory
Featured image by Matthew Wuschke
By Ryan Abazari
The Boston University Men’s Basketball Team (13-14, 7-7 PL) put their undefeated home record this year on the line, as they played host to the Colgate Raiders (11-16, 8-6 PL) in a battle between the only two teams to win the Patriots League since 2018.
In what would become an instant classic, it seemed as if every time one team took a lead, the other would come storming back, and this would lead the game to double overtime, where the Terriers finally put the Raiders out for good, winning 93-91.
Assistant Coach Mike Quinn summarized his team’s warrior effort saying “But the thing that I liked, is that [losing a regulation and overtime lead] could have deflated a team, or you got to move on to the next play and just fight. And I thought we did that”
The Terriers would set the tone early, as with both sides trying to find their footing, Colgate’s Brady Cummins looked for an easy layup to cut the 5-2 Terriers lead. What he wasn’t expecting was a high flying Malcolm Chimezie to come in and deliver a vicious block.
The Terriers have been on an extremely interesting run to start 2025, as they’ve lost all seven of their road conference games but won all six of their home conference games, making The Roof not only a fortress, but also the only place the Terriers can win.
A great surprise for the Terriers was Ben Defty taking over late in the first half, to give the Terriers help. After entering the game at the 6:50 mark in the first, he would fill up the stat sheet in the next 4 minutes, scoring six points and grabbing four rebounds, with 3 being offensive. He entered the game with the Terriers losing, and left with a lead he created.
Speaking on his performance Defty said that “Shots can fall or not, but like those toughness plays rebounds. I mean you can always rely on that.” perfectly showcasing the Terriers never say die attitude.
An area of concern for the Terriers in that first half was their shooting, more specifically from three as while both teams would convert the same amount, four, the Terriers took seven more attempts to get to that number shooting only 25% compared to 44.4% for the Raiders.
After Defty’s play late in the first, Jeff Woodward would try his best to replicate that, starting a Colgate 10-0 run all by himself with eight of the points by himself, an offensive rebound, and getting the steal leading to the other basket, single handedly turning a 30-26 Terriers lead into a 36-30 Raiders lead.
Defty wouldn’t shine just at the end of the first for the Terriers, but stepped up when it mattered late in the game. Right after getting subbed in with four minutes left, he would convert an and-one, steal the ball from Woodward, and get fouled and make both free throws to put BU up 61-60 with 2:45 left to play.
The end of the game was straight madness, with the lead just flip-flopping sides. After 2 Woodward free throws gave the Raiders a 62-61 lead, Kyrone Alexander responded with a steal and two free throws of his own to put the Terriers back up 63-62. On the very next possession Michael McNair would draw inspiration from his teammate with his own steal and free throws to further the lead to 65-62.
Cummins would find the perfect time to score his first three pointer of the evening to tie the game up at 65-65, but McNair, not one to let down the raucous home fans would hit his own corner three sent The Roof into madness and gave the Terriers a 68-65 lead.
After a pair of Miles Brewster free throws put the Terriers up 70-67, the game looked all but sealed, but a defensive lapse allowed for a wide open Nicolas Louis-Jacques, and he would drain it, to tie up the game at 70 with 11 second left. If there’s anyone the Terriers didn’t want to leave open it was the deadly Louis-Jacques who ranks 8th in the Patriots League for 3 pointers made per game.
The Terriers had a chance to win the game in regulation, but Alexander would miss a three at the buzzer and the near capacity crowd at The Roof would be treated to five more minutes of free basketball.
BU began the OT period hot taking a quick 76-72 lead, thanks in large part to Nico Nobili grabbing two rebounds and scoring a tough layup, but that wouldn’t be the end of his contributions in the spare period.
After a Colgate basket to bring it to 74-76, the same man who sent the game to OT hoped to take the lead once and for all for the Raiders, as Louis-Jacques would hit a three to give them a 77-76 lead.
Nobili responded in his own style, scoring around the hoop, and making a free throw to put the Terriers up 79-77 with 23 seconds left. Colgate however still refused to lose, and Jalen Cox sank a pair of free throws to tie the game back up at 79, and just like the end of regulation, Alexander would miss the game winning three pointer sending this game into double OT.
Alexander would make up for his two game winning missed threes, as he would hit back to back threes to give the Terriers a seven point lead in double OT. But to no-one’s surprise the Raiders battled back and back to back three pointers from Cummins and Cox brought it to 88-87.
Cox’s efforts would not stop there, as he would score another 2 baskets to tie the game up 91-91 with 21 seconds remaining. But luck would be on the Terriers side, as the third time was the charm for Alexander as his jumper with five seconds left would finally be the decider, giving the Terriers the 93-91 victory, one of their toughest and most impressive of the season.
Many players speak of not letting the moment get to big for them, and Alexander illustrated that perfectly saying “I mean, felt like I had a favorable matchup, got to my spot, rose up. Rest was history.”
Next up the Terriers will stay at home, hosting the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. The game will be played at Case Gymnasium and will be broadcast live on ESPN +.