Men’s Basketball: Terriers Dominate Against Brown in a 90-77 Victory
Featured Image By Matthew Wuschke
By Matthew Wuschke
Boston University Men’s Basketball (2-1, 0-0 PL) dominated in a 90-77 win over Brown (0-3, 0-0 IVY) at the Case Gymnasium on Wednesday. This was the first time the two teams matched up since the 1993-94 season.
The Terriers were red hot out of the gate, going on a 13-0 run within three minutes of the game tipping off. Freshman guard Chance Gladden led the charge for BU, scoring six of the team’s 13 points. Freshman forward Sam Hughes, Junior guard Michael McNair, and Senior guard Ben Roy all knocked down a 3-pointer throughout the run.
The Bears put a stop to their scoreless run by putting up a quick eight points, but this was quickly stifled by the Terriers, who went on their own run. BU moved their lead up to 17 points shortly after, ahead of the Bears 25-8.
BU continued to catch fire throughout the first half, with sophomore guard Azmar Abdullah knocking down a 3-pointer to put the Terriers up 21 points—the biggest lead of the game and the season.
The Terriers were firing on all cylinders on both sides of the court in the first half, holding Brown to a measly 34.6% from the field and 26.7% from deep. On the other hand, Brown could not stop the scarlet and white offense. BU shot 61.5% from the field and an efficient 57.1% from deep.
“Everything was working—especially defensively,” said BU Head Coach Joe Jones. “We were making every shot, we were guarding really well, and they followed the game plan really well.”
Four Terriers notched eight or more points in the half, with freshman forward Sam Hughes and Michael McNair having 12 and 10 points, respectively. Hughes started the game out hot from deep, knocking down all three shots attempted. The Terriers ended the first half with a 17-point lead, up 48-31.
Graduate forward Malcom Chimezie went down with an injury with 5:41 left in the first and did not return to the game—not the best sign for an already injury-riddled team.
As the second half began, BU came out with a little bit of rust and allowed Brown to start fighting back into the game. Brown went on a 10-4 run in the first 4:25 of the second, cutting BU’s lead to 11.
The momentum began to shift back in the Terrier’s favor as two straight steals by Michael McNair and freshman guard Chance Gladden led to scores for BU five and a half minutes into the second. Multiple miscues for Brown allowed BU to get back in the game, scoring seven unanswered, pushing the lead back up to 18 with 13 minutes left in the half.
The remainder of the second half was played to the tune of Chance Gladden and sophomore forward Ben Defty, while McNair kept the hot hand going. Defty had 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Gladden scored six points in three minutes, pushing his total to 14 points.
This was a breakout game for Gladden, who nearly doubled his points from last game along with being more active on the floor all around. On top of the 14 points, Gladden notched five assists, five rebounds, and two steals.
“Chance is a big player for us, especially with guys out,” said Michael McNair. “He’s a really talented freshman, and with him being able to attack, being able to handle the ball, and handling pressure when the time is right, I think that that’s really big for us, and it was really impressive.”
The Terriers continued to maintain their double-digit lead throughout the second half. Some miscues allowed Brown to start to gain momentum, but BU extinguished it quickly.
Defty made sure his presence was felt throughout the game, tormenting Brown defenders and drawing nine fouls. Defty put a seal on the game with 24 seconds left with a fierce alley-oop assisted by Ben Roy. He ended the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Sam Hughes commented on Defty, saying, “I would say he’s the X factor. Everything kind of runs through him.”
BU comfortably coasted to a 90-77 win, moving to 2-1 in out-of-conference play. The Terriers’ next opponent will be Merrimack this Saturday at the Case Gymnasium.
With Chimezie out and Coach Jones confirming that senior forward Otto Landrum and junior guard/forward Matai Baptiste are out for the season, BU is very injury-riddled and will have to make adjustments.
The Terriers still have a glimpse of hope, as Jones still expects to get graduate guard Ethan Okwuosa and Chimezie back soon. Jones also has hopes of getting junior guard Kyrone Alexander back by December.
“We’re just gonna have to make some adjustments, we’re going to have to watch fouling, and we’re going to have to understand the tempo that we’re going to have to play at to win,” said Jones. “We don’t want to walk it up, but we’re going to have to probably have some possessions where we have to slow it down, try to win the game at the end until we can get some bodies back. We have a good enough team to do that, and it’s just a different way we have to play.”