Jan. 22, 2014

Box Score | Watch Replay on PLN

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a mid-season battle for first place in the Patriot League standings, the Boston University men's basketball team dropped an 86-56 decision at American University on Wednesday night. Seeing their six-game win streak snapped, the Terriers fall to 13-7 (6-1 PL), while the Eagles improve to 11-7 and 7-0 in conference play behind their eighth-straight victory.

The Terriers suffered their worst shooting night of the season at 16-of-50 (.320) while allowing a season-high 86 points, as the Eagles finished a stifling 30-of-42 (.714) from the field, including 11-of-14 (.786) in 3-point territory. American entered the game ranked ninth nationally in field goal percentage (.493) and 15th in points allowed per game (60.4).

Sophomore Maurice Watson Jr. led the Terriers with 15 points, five steals and four assists. Senior D.J. Irving added 10 points, while classmates Dom Morris and Travis Robinson contributed nine points apiece. BU was out-rebounded, 31-21, with sophomore Nathan Dieudonne posting a team-high six boards.

Winning the first meeting between the two programs since 1999, American featured five players in double figures. Jesse Reed went 8-of-9 in the field for a game-high 20 points. Darius Gardner posted 18 points behind five treys and added five assists against six turnovers. Tony Wroblicky tallied 17 points, while Marko Vasic contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists off the bench. John Schoof was the fifth Eagle in double figures with 10 points.

BU jumped out of the gate scoring the contest's first seven points behind a Morris layup, Irving 3-pointer and short Watson jumper. The Terriers extended the lead to 13-2 with 14:55 left in the half on sophomore John Papale's layup.

The Eagles responded with back-to-back 3-pointers and finished the 12-0 run at 11:38 on Reed's layup that resulted from a steal by Gardner. BU took its final lead of the game one minute later, 17-16, when Morris hit a turn-around jumper.

Vasic quickly erased the one-point deficit with a field goal to ignite a 12-2 run over the next six minutes. The Eagles pulled ahead, 37-23, with 1:17 remaining in the half on Gardner's 3-pointer. Morris hit 1-of-2 free throws and Papale drained a trey from the corner before the buzzer sounded to pull the Terriers within 10 (37-27) entering the locker room.

Handing BU its largest halftime deficit of the season, American was only ahead by 10 (46-36) with 14:41 left in regulation following Robinson's 3-pointer. Robinson added another trey two minutes later to put the deficit at 13 (52-39).

American then went on a 14-3 run over the next five minutes to pull away. The Eagles scored the game's final six points to give BU its worst defeat since an 82-46 loss at Texas on Nov. 13, 2011.

The Terriers only committed 10 turnovers and finished with a 19-10 advantage in points off turnovers but could not overcome a 4-of-16 performance from behind the arc. The Eagles also owned a 34-20 advantage in points in the paint.

BU will look to rebound on Saturday (Jan. 25) at Bucknell with the CBS Sports Network broadcast set for 2 p.m. The Terriers are only one game behind the Eagles with 11 league contests remaining and sit in a tie for second place in the conference standings with Army (6-1).