ELON, N.C. – Elon University men’s basketball fell to Boston University 65-58 on Saturday afternoon, Dec. 1, inside Schar Center. The Terriers did not allow a field goal to the Phoenix over the final three minutes, which contributed to its game-ending 13-3 run.
Elon (3-5) had two players score in double figures and were led by Sheldon Eberhardt’s career-high 20 points. Steven Santa Ana added 19 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Chuck Hannah came off the bench and provided five points in 13 minutes.
Both Tyler Scanlon and Max Mahoney finished with 18 points each to lead BU (5-4). Javante McCoy tallied nine points, matched Scanlon’s team-high tying eight boards, and dished out a team-best four assists.
Although Elon made a 19-2 run midway through the second half to take a nine-point lead, BU was able to respond and tie up the game at 46-46 with 7:42 remaining. Even though the maroon and gold took a four-point lead with 3:31 remaining, BU’s late run clinched the win for the Terriers. The Phoenix was limited to just 32.7 percent shooting for the game, which included a 28.6 percent clip in the first half.
HIGHLIGHTS
Boston University started with an 8-2 lead after the first three minutes of the contest. However, Elon responded with a 14-3 run to take a 16-11 lead at the 9:41 mark after Kris Wooten’s three-pointer.
Then, a 15-2 run by the Terriers over a 6:42 span put BU ahead 26-18 with 2:48 on the clock following Alex Vilarino’s layup. The Phoenix answered with a 7-2 spurt over the final minutes to cut Boston’s lead to just 28-25 at the half. The Terriers limited Elon to just 28.6 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes.
Although BU took a 33-25 lead to open the half, the Phoenix used a 19-2 surge over the next 6:44 to take a 44-35 lead following two Eberhardt free throws. Boston University then made a run, which included a 2:23 Elon scoring drought, to tie the game at 46-46 with 7:42 on the clock.
Following a three-pointer from Chuck Hannah, BU retook the lead 51-49 at 5:26 following a triple from Jordan Guest, which forced Elon to call a timeout. Eberhardt hit back-to-back threes to give Elon the lead right back 55-51 with 3:31 left in the game.
BU closed out the game with a 13-3 run, which included a 6-0 spurt over the final 1:17 to earn the victory. The Terriers did not allow a single field goal to the Phoenix over the final three minutes of the game.
NOTES
– Sheldon Eberhardt tallied a career-high 20 points against BU. He also posted a team-best five assists.
– Tyler Seibring was held to just four points against the Terriers, which snapped his 27-game double-digit scoring streak.
– Santa Ana posted his third-straight game of 15 or more points with 19 against Boston University.
– Seibring now has 1,374 career points and is 17th all-time in program history. He is seven points behind Thomas Moore ’76 who is in 16th.
UP NEXT
The Phoenix returns to Schar Center for its first of two home games next week hosting former Southern Conference rival Furman on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m.