Just two minutes into the Feb.13 men’s basketball game, head coach G.G. Smith called a time out and showed clear frustration at his team’s dismal early performance. The Greyhounds sluggish start deterred any chance at a comeback as Boston University pulled away with the 73-65 win. The Terriers are currently third in the Patriot League, and the Greyhounds fell to sixth with only four games remaining before Patriot League Playoffs.
Smith was noticeably fired up from the start as the team continued to miss scoring opportunities. With 3:10 remaining in the first, the Greyhounds had only shot 18 percent from the field and went on long streaks with no shots going in the basket, a clear deflator to the team’s spirits. The game’s early stages mirrored the Greyhounds Feb. 10 loss to Navy, with BU pushing the score gap to 10 points or more several times during the first half.
Frustration peaked when senior Franz Rassman received the game’s only technical foul following a scuffle with a BU player after the whistle. The situation seemed grim for the Hounds, until a momentum shift late in the half led by Chancellor Barnard’s energized dunk. Barnard’s drive to the hoop cost BU’s Eric Fanning a foul, which resulted in Barnard banking in both free throws. Several minutes later, a similar hard-fought drive led to another Fanning foul, and two successful free throws.
This was an uncharacteristic game for BU’s Fanning, who racked up a career-high scoring record against the Hounds in their previous meeting in January. Fanning finished the game with four fouls and only shot 4-14 from the field, as the Greyhound’s Eric Laster did a good job containing the star player.
This matchup was also a struggle for the Hounds standout and leading scorer Jarred Jones, who had zero points at halftime. Without Jones’ key consistency the team suffered. In the post-game interview G.G. Smith explained that Jones got injured at a recent practice, “He wasn’t a full 100 percent.”
Despite early-game shakiness, Jones came back in the second half stronger, starting the Hounds off with several quick baskets. Point guard Andre Walker also stepped up to fill Jones’ shoes, finishing the night with the most points for the Hounds and picking up the intensity and energy for the team. However, Walker’s influence was tainted by his foul trouble, which forced him to sit out several minutes. The persistent Terriers saw their opportunity and ran with it, once again widening the score gap.
The Hounds seemed to show some fight late into the second half when senior guard Eric Laster hit a big shot that woke up Reitz Arena, followed by a Barnard lay-up. Barnard once again got the chance to pump life into the game when he dunked at 8:25, bringing the score to a more manageable 54-48. The Greyhounds continued to inch their way back, cutting the gap to three with 2:26 remaining in the game. Unfortunately, it was too little too late as the team fell to their division rival.
The team scored nearly double the points they achieved in the first half, but were always too preoccupied chasing the Terriers to ever convert a lead change. The largest BU lead was 17 points at 7:39 in the first, which epitomizes the theme of the day: the Terriers controlled the tempo of the game from the start and took full advantage of Loyola’s lackluster early play.
“It’s tough to lose home games, especially this late in the season when we had a chance to jump up in the standings” Smith shared post-game, “But what we do is just try to get better, get into the gym and play harder, work harder and coach a little harder.”
The Hounds have a tough road ahead as they look to set the pace early and snap a two-game loosing streak Feb. 17 when they face off against Patriot League leader Bucknell.
Photo courtesy of Loyola Men’s Basketball
