Double-doubles from senior center Max Mahoney and sophomore forward Walter Whyte were not enough to save the Terriers from a 61-59 loss to Lafayette.
After struggling to get stops during the first half, BU (16-12, 10-5 PL) found itself in a 43-27 hole at halftime. The Terriers had a much better second half, outscoring the Leopards 32-18, but they fell just short when both Mahoney and Whyte missed last-second shots that could have won or tied the game.
Mahoney and Whyte were still the Terriers’ top performers of the night. Whyte had one of the best games of his career with 18 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal. While Mahoney struggled to finish his shots at times, he still scored 14 points, grabbed 10 boards, and dished out three assists.
Mahoney and Whyte helped BU to a 38-30 advantage on the glass. Nine of those rebounds were offensive, allowing the Terriers to score 10 crucial second-chance points.
BU had plenty of production in the frontcourt but did not quite get the same results from the backcourt. The Terriers were without typical starting point guard Javante McCoy, leading them to route more offense than usual through their bigs and forcing other guards to step up.
Sophomore guard Jonas Harper went 3-of-8 on three-pointers for a total of nine points. Freshman point guard Ethan Brittain-Watts, sophomore guard Alex Vilarino, and junior guard Andrew Petcash combined for 11 points.
While the Terrier guards provided a solid amount of scoring, BU still missed McCoy’s playmaking. The Terriers relied on isolation scoring and finished with only five assists all night, their second-lowest total of the season.
Lafayette guard E.J. Stephens outscored all four of the Terriers’ guards by himself. Stephens’ 27 points and five made shots from deep were both career highs. In the first half, he scored 18 points and helped the Leopards shoot 64% from the floor during the period.
The Terriers’ margin for error in their next conference game against American is razor-thin. The Eagles have an array of scoring threats on their roster, including Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year Sa’eed Nelson. While limiting Nelson is a tall order, BU must lock down American’s supporting cast when they face off on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
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