Men’s Basketball: BU fall to Columbia in Manhattan
Featured Image By Alex Chen
By Austin Rayamajhi
Boston University Men’s Basketball (2-3, 0-0 PL) battled back but lost to Columbia Lions Men’s Basketball (3-1, 0-0 Ivy) in a low-scoring 54-49 game in Manhattan.
The Terriers were looking to bounce back after a home loss to Merrimack and beat their second Ivy League opponent this season. The game was a reunion for BU Head Coach Joe Jones, who coached at Columbia from 2003 to 2010.
“It was not the first time I had been back at a place I coached at before,” said Jones. “It was pretty cool to return, to see some people from when I was here. It means a lot.”
The Terriers, dealing with injury issues, which have dismantled the depth of the squad, struggled to start the game. A 3-point field goal from senior guard and captain Ben Roy three minutes into the game was the only point BU scored in the first seven and a half minutes of the game.
The lack of scoring allowed Columbia to open up a big lead early in the game. The Lions started the game on an 18-3 run and led by as many as 19 points with five minutes left in the first half.
Columbia dominated the first half, leading by 17 going into halftime. The Lions shot 7-13 on 3-point field goals and grabbed 20 rebounds compared to 2-13 on 3-point field goals and 11 rebounds for the Terriers.
“I think our offensive execution was the worst it had been all season,” said Jones.
BU chipped into the Columbia lead, cutting it to 11 within six minutes of the second half opening up. The two teams went back and forth for the first 10 minutes of the half, with the Lions able to push their lead back up to 14.
The final 10 minutes of the game were dominated by the Terriers, with freshman guard Chance Gladden leading the way, scoring eight of his team-high 14 points in the final seven and a half minutes of game time.
Columbia did not score a field goal in the final 9 minutes and 16 seconds of game action. The Terriers went on a 10-0 run during this time, cutting the lead down to 2 with 49 seconds remaining.
Jones called a timeout to draw up a play. Rather than opting to go quick and try for a 2-for-1, the Terriers looked for the best shot they could get, which was a Roy 3-point field goal on a switch, but the captain could not knock it down, and Columbia went on to seal the victory with free throws.
“They came high and doubled Defty,” said Jones. “Ben is a leader out there for us, and we trust him.”
BU’s next game comes against their third Ivy League opponent, Harvard, at a neutral site in the Mohegan Sun Arena in Connecticut, with the game starting at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday and available to stream on NESN.