Men’s Basketball: How Conference Play Turned into an Upset Win for the Record Books
Photo by Alex Chen
Jane Guay
A night full of records—that is the best way to describe the Boston University Men’s Basketball team’s performance against the Colgate Men’s Basketball team on Monday night. Going into the matchup, Colgate was ranked second in the Patriot League along with BU as the sixth seed. What could’ve been another easy blowout for the Raiders turned into an upset for the ages for the Terriers.
Sophomore guard Azmar Abdullah started the game off hot, with two back-to-back shots from beyond the arc. Little did anyone in the audience of over 1,500 people know that was just the first minute and two seconds of a record-breaking performance.
While Abdullah gained more and more momentum throughout the entirety of the matchup, it was not without what freshman forward Sam Hughes and junior guard Michael McNair contributed to the table. The Terriers were able to grow a lead right off the bat, though earlier on, there was some light in the Raider’s sophomore guard Ben Tweedy, who ended the night with 13 points. With a little over six minutes played in the first three, Tweedy hit his first three-pointer of the night, only to be shut down by Hughes’s four-point play immediately following. This was a common pattern seen throughout the night, where any time the Raiders would build a collective energy, it would immediately get shut down by the Terriers’ offensive strategy.
“They’re giving you all the confidence you need.” Hughes stated in a post-game press conference regarding the support he is able to gain from his teammates to lead to that offensive strategy.
Following Hughes’s four-point play, Abdullah scored his third and fourth threes of the night—in under 13 minutes played. If Abdullah beyond the arc wasn’t enough, McNair was right behind him, scoring his second 3-pointer of the night with just over five minutes to go in the first half. These quality shots time after time came from a collective strategy to create a team win in the end.
“Just trying to stay in the moment as much as we can,” Abdullah stated when discussing how the team’s togetherness is really what pushes them in these key moments.
While this was a game of threes, it is equally as important to recognize sophomore and junior forwards Ben Defty and Quinn Nielsen and their ability to finish in the paint. This is what happens when all players of all abilities come together. This is the team that wins when players are being used to their full potential. This is also an outcome of the relationships inside the locker room as well, where athletes are pushed as hard as they can be.
“Just having that is really cool,” Coach Joe Jones stated in regard to the brotherhood in the locker room. This brotherhood behind the scenes and during practice is what builds that communication that is essential.
The Terriers ended the half, keeping the Raiders to just 23 points, their lowest of any half so far this season. This was just the first of the records to pop up for the Terriers throughout the evening.
Once again, there were few moments that may have given the Raiders any chance of light in the second half. Specifically, Colgate’s sophomore guard Josh Ahayere started out his second half with a three-pointer, putting the team up to 3-11 for three-pointers for the night. Quickly, this was overpowered by Abdullah’s fifth three of the night 21 seconds later. Less than a minute later, a sixth falls through the net. At this point, eyes started turning to the record books.
Having a night of their own, Hughes and McNair continued serving their own points to the scoreboard table.
“We definitely feed off each other for sure,” Abdullah stated when talking about how the win was a collective one.
While offensive strategy is what won this game for the Terriers, the team’s defense is nothing to keep quiet about. The Terriers were able to hold the Raiders’ junior guard Jalen Cox, the same player who scored 30 points against Navy just recently, to just 4-14 from field goal range. The Terriers’ ability to create that defensive strategy on the court, along with the Raiders’ inability to make quality shots, is what created a nightmare situation for Colgate.
“It’s really been the defense that’s been the biggest difference,” Coach Jones stated.
Despite the lead gap continuing to enlarge for the Terriers, Abdullah continued his streak, ending the night with two back-to-back three-pointers, making it eight for the night. This tied the program’s all-time record for individual three-pointers made in a game, a record set in 2007. Not only points-wise, but Abdullah also tied the record for most three-pointers made in a game this year while maintaining 100% from beyond the arc in the entire NCAA, tying Josh Pascarelli of Colorado State’s game against South Florida. Because of his teammates’ contributions, Abdullah led the Terriers to tie their all-time record for total three-pointers made in a game, hitting 18 for the night.
“All I’m trying to do is beat Matt Langel,” Coach Jones stated when discussing how he doesn’t pay attention to records during game time.
The Terriers’ togetherness is ultimately what led to a victory over the Raiders, ending with a score of 85-58. A 27-point win meant the biggest win of the season for the Terriers and also a win that led to Coach Jones tying the most wins under a head coach in the program’s history. It was a night for the record books, so there are no limits to what the Terriers have in store for the rest of the season. For their next matchup, Boston University will face Lehigh on Sunday, February 22, at 12 p.m. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Streaming will be available on CBS Sports Network.