Men’s Basketball: Boston University defeats Lafayette 77-73 in an overtime spectacle.

By Oliver Hettenbach 

Boston University men’s basketball defeated Patriot League rivals Lafayette College in a thrilling 77-73 overtime battle on Wednesday evening.

The Terriers were led by freshman forward Sam Hughes, who notched a team-high 23 points. Hughes also hit a game-tying jump shot off his own missed free throw, which sent the game to overtime.

“We lost a couple games at the buzzer,” said Hughes. “So I was like, [it] finally goes in our way.”

The game was a tale of two halves, the first of which was dominated by Lafayette. The Leopards entered halftime with a nine-point lead, accentuated by wing Andrew Phillip’s three-pointer with one second remaining. The Leopards were spearheaded by Phillips and guard Caleb Williams, who finished with a game-high 24 points, 13 of those coming before the intermission.

The game was won for the Terriers by an elevation of defensive toughness and intensity, as the difference in effort was tangible from the first half to the second. 

Their lockdown defense allowed for the Terriers to overcome turning the ball over six more times than the Leopards, along with losing the three-point battle. This is the first game the Terriers have won this season in which they made fewer three-pointers than their opponent.

“I would say the big difference in this one is that we had to defend to get ourselves back in the game, and we hadn’t done it that way,” said head coach Joe Jones. “And so that was a major step for us, it could be a breakthrough for us in the second half.”

Hughes’ 13-point second half/overtime was complemented by an impressive performance from sophomore Ben Defty. Defty contributed 12 points, nine rebounds, and five blocks, and finished the game +20. The German big provided a much-needed defensive anchor for the Terriers while also making nuanced offensive plays, including hard screens and sealing off the Leopard’s help defenders. 

“You know, there’s been a lot of great moments, but there’s just a lot of growth,” Jones commented on Defty’s performance. “Tonight I saw him move in the right direction in terms of growing, and he was impacting the game just with his size.”

The game’s momentum began to shift following a made three-pointer from junior guard Michael McNair, off an assist from freshman guard Chance Gladden. Gladden boasted a game-high seven assists.

The Terriers followed up McNair’s three with a three from sophomore guard Azmar Abdullah, along with a Defty layup to put them within one. After two free throws from Williams, Hughes found himself at the free throw line down three with four seconds left in regulation. The freshman, who has a collection of clutch moments this season, sent the game to overtime.

From there, the Terriers grabbed momentum, which they would not relinquish until the game’s completion. Hughes contributed six more points in the five-minute period, and Abdullah went three for four from the charity stripe in the game’s closing moments, sealing a win for Boston University.

The Terriers continue to be plagued with injuries, as all five starters recorded over thirty-four minutes. As for updates on senior guard Ben Roy and graduate forward Malcom Chimezie, Jones said, “We have 11 games left… I’m hoping that, you know, we can get them back for the later third of that timeframe. With maybe like four games to go in the regular season, or six games to go in the regular season, and then you get playoffs going.”

The Terriers will travel to Hamilton, New York, for a conference matchup against Colgate on Saturday.