Midway through the second half, Boston University seemed poised to extend its win streak to six after hitting 13 of its first 15 shots in the half and opening up a 13-point lead over Lehigh University, its largest of the game. 

Freshman guard Chance Gladden (2) directs play on a Terrier possession of the ball during a matchup against the Bucknell Bisons on Feb 14. Unable to finish out the game and maintain their lead, BU men’s basketball ended their five-game win-streak against the Lehigh Mountain Hawks with a 70-67 loss. (JENNY CHEN)

Then the Mountain Hawks (13-16, 9-7 Patriot League) adjusted their defense, switching to a mix of man and zone that forced the Terriers (13-16, 8-8 PL) guards off the 3-point line and slowed the fast-paced BU offense to a crawl. 

As the Terriers offense stalled, Lehigh went on a 20-8 run in the final eight minutes of the game, capped off by a spinning layup from junior guard Nasir Whitlock with eight seconds remaining — extending Lehigh’s lead to three. 

Despite the blown lead, the Terriers still had a chance to tie the game in the dying seconds when junior guard Michael McNair was fouled attempting a game-tying three. With four seconds to go, McNair missed the second of three free throws needed to tie the game, and Whitlock’s ensuing free throws gave the Mountain Hawks a 70-67 win, ending BU’s five-game winning streak. 

“We were horrible offensively against the zone,” said BU Head Coach Joe Jones after the loss. “We stood around, tried to make one-on-one plays, it just took us out of our rhythm and I thought it really cost us the game.”

The Terriers’ late-game struggles were compounded by their inability to defend Whitlock, who came into the game as the Patriot League’s leading scorer, and finished with a game-high 30 points.

“We let Whitlock go for 30, and that was the difference in the game,” Jones said.

The Terriers hot start to the second half salvaged a poor shooting day. BU shot 50% from the field but just 2/11 in the first half from 3-point range and 33.3% from behind the arc in total. 

For a BU squad that entered the game leading the Patriot League in three-point shooting percentage, the cold shooting night was an anomaly. Struggles from the perimeter forced BU to rely on its defensive pressure to create opportunities — the Terriers scored 17 points off ten Lehigh turnovers. 

McNair and freshman guard Chance Gladden led the team offensively, finishing with 17 points each. Sophomore center Ben Defty also chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds. 

Despite the poor shooting, the Terriers opened up an eight-point lead late in the first half and a double-digit lead midway through the second half. Both times, the Mountain Hawks were able to cut into the lead, with BU’s inconsistent offense unable to blow the game open.

“I liked our fight. I thought we just weren’t able to finish it,” Jones said. “We outplayed them for most of the game. We just couldn’t finish.” 

The Terriers will look to rebound from the loss when they return home to play Holy Cross at Case Gym on Wednesday.