{"id":39886,"date":"2024-01-14T13:15:58","date_gmt":"2024-01-14T18:15:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/?p=39886"},"modified":"2024-01-14T13:16:51","modified_gmt":"2024-01-14T18:16:51","slug":"mens-basketball-morales-leads-18-point-comeback-as-bu-earns-a-thrilling-victory-at-loyola-maryland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/wtbu\/2024\/01\/14\/mens-basketball-morales-leads-18-point-comeback-as-bu-earns-a-thrilling-victory-at-loyola-maryland\/","title":{"rendered":"Men\u2019s Basketball: Morales leads 18-point comeback as BU earns a thrilling victory at Loyola Maryland"},"content":{"rendered":"

Featured image by Stevie Potter<\/em><\/p>\n

By Henry Dinh-Price<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

After 20 minutes, it looked almost out of reach for BU.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the first half, the Terriers shot just 8-for-28 from the field, were outscored 24-6 in the paint, had zero second-chance points, and attempted zero free throws. BU was lucky only to be down 33-21 entering the locker room at halftime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an ugly first half for us,\u201d BU head coach Joe Jones said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

That might be an understatement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Three minutes into the second half, things got even worse for the Terriers. BU fell behind by 18 points, trailing Loyola Maryland 41-23.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With 14 minutes remaining, BU was still down by 17, trailing 45-28, and ESPN\u2019s win probability metric gave Loyola Maryland a 98.2 percent chance to prevail. If it wasn\u2019t out of reach at halftime, it certainly felt out of reach then.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But against all odds, the Terriers (7-10, 2-2 PL) stormed back to defeat the Loyola Maryland Greyhounds (3-14, 1-3 PL), 60-58, on Saturday.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers ended the game on a 20-4 run to complete their second-half comeback and walk out of Reitz Arena in Baltimore with a hard-fought victory.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great character win to be able to pull it out like we did tonight,\u201d Jones said. \u201cIt\u2019s just something that we can build off of.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

BU was dismal in the first half, especially offensively, but it was a different story after halftime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers shot 50 percent (15-for-30) from the field, a product of attacking the rim with much more consistency, scoring 20 points in the paint after halftime.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe talked about just trying to play with more force and then trying to get more downhill. I thought we were able to do that,\u201d Jones said.<\/span><\/p>\n

After falling behind 45-28 with just 14 minutes to mount a comeback, the Terriers went on a 12-4 run over the next four minutes to cut the Greyhounds’ lead to single digits, forcing Loyola head coach Tavaras Hardy to call timeout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After the timeout, however, Loyola quickly scored five straight points. A thunderous dunk from senior center Golden Dike (12 points) put the Greyhounds ahead 54-40 with 8:23 remaining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The momentum had swung back in Loyola\u2019s favor.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But a career night from senior forward Anthony Morales led the unlikely comeback for BU.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Terriers went on a 14-0 run over the next four minutes to fully erase their deficit, with Morales scoring 11 of the 14 points.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Morales buried three 3-pointers and converted on a layup during the game-tying run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On a 3 that cut the deficit to just a point, with 5:43 remaining, Morales launched from so deep that his heels were scraping the edge of Loyola\u2019s center court logo. It didn\u2019t matter.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAnthony Morales looked like he was at Beaver Country Day from his high school days. He kind of put us on his back,\u201d Jones said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Loyola momentarily regained the lead when sophomore guard Deon Perry (7 points) connected on a floater.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Morales answered on the ensuing possession. He drove to the rim and finished through contact for a layup plus the foul. And Morales drained the crucial and-one free throw to put BU ahead 57-56 with just under three minutes remaining.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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Down by as many as 18, Morales grabs the lead with the layup and the FT! He has a career-high 21 points! #GoBU<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch on ESPN+: https:\/\/t.co\/4t2gCnWatN<\/a>@PatriotLeagueTV<\/a> | @ESPN<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/dMff7ulIR4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BU Men’s Basketball (@TerrierMBB) January 13, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n