Led by Brewster, BU men’s basketball scores 87 in an offensive showcase
The Terriers shot season-bests from the field and 3-point range and scored a whopping 87 points, a season-high against Division I opponents.
BOSTON — The Boston University men’s basketball team made 11 of its first 13 shots on Wednesday night. Everything was clicking on the offensive end, forcing Navy to switch things up.
So after junior forward Donovan Draper sunk a pair of free throws, the Midshipmen set up in a full-court press. Draper and junior guard Austin Benigni (23 points) attempted to trap sophomore guard Mike McNair in the corner. McNair passed out of it, finding the inbounder Nico Nobili underneath the basket. Nobili, a junior forward, whipped a pass ahead to graduate guard Miles Brewster at midcourt. Brewster took two dribbles before lifting off for a poster slam over 6-foot-10 junior forward Aidan Kehoe.
Freshman guard Azmar Abdullah put his hands on his head. McNair flexed. Junior forward Otto Landrum stood mouth agape on the bench. Brewster clapped his hands on defense after he trotted back down the floor — beaming.
It was Brewster’s night. A career-high 25 points on 10-of-11 shooting, 5 for 6 from 3, five rebounds and a team-high four assists. BU’s leader had his best offensive performance of the season, and so did the Terriers.
BU scored 87 points, a season-high against a Division I opponent, on season-bests of 59.6 percent from the field and 52.2 percent from deep. That was more than enough to earn an eighth straight victory at Case Gym, defeating Navy 87-65.
“I thought we were really unselfish. I thought we crashed the boards really well. And I thought we just attacked their ball screen defense,” said Brewster.
“We’ve also been struggling shooting the ball, but we have a bunch of shooters,” Brewster added. “I just, I’m not surprised.”
Brewster, a Preseason All-Patriot League selection, has had an up-and-down season offensively. He notched a previous season-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting at UMass Lowell on Dec. 21. Since then, Brewster has had four games with fewer than five points. He hadn’t hit more than one 3-pointer in a game since that Dec. 21 outing.
On Wednesday, he knocked down a career-high five and performed like the Patriot League Player of the Year.
“I mean, it happened today, but it’s really just about continuing to knock at the door,” said Brewster.
“I’ve been struggling offensively, especially shooting the ball, and I just keep telling myself that I’m right there, and I just need to continue. Continue to practice my shot and continue shooting in the game,” Brewster explained.
“And I’m knocking, and I’m knocking at the door, and I’m knocking at the door,” said Brewster as he knocked on the press room table. “And you just, you can’t let up.”
All of that knocking paid off.
Brewster kickstarted an early 12-0 run for BU (12-12, 6-5 PL) by rattling home a stepback jumper. The Terriers had a sideline inbounds on the next trip with 11 seconds on the shot clock but they failed to set up their play properly. It didn’t matter as Brewster called on freshman forward Ben Defty for a high-ball screen and drilled a pull-up 3-pointer from well beyond the arc.
Less than two minutes after his poster dunk, Brewster utilized a ball screen to draw a double team with Benigni and Kehoe near midcourt. He drove past both Midshipmen and eluded the help side defender for a layup at the rim.
“I thought our guys did a good job of attacking and getting stuff out of that,” head coach Joe Jones said of his team’s ball screen usage. “I do think that was a benefit for us.”
Brewster had 14 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting in the first half.
He began his second half scoring with a fadeaway 3 over the outstretched contest of Kehoe. Two more 3s followed with under three minutes to play.
“I guess it was the perfect storm today, but I’m not surprised,” said Brewster. “I wish it happened earlier.”
McNair was brilliant as well, adding 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 4 for 5 from 3. He made a barrage of difficult shots, including an and-one 3 from the left wing.
“Mike needs to shoot the ball because he is one of the best shooters in the league,” Brewster said.
McNair and Brewster, BU’s second and third leading scorers, were given an extra load with leading scorer Kyrone Alexander out with the flu.
“Knowing that Ky was out, I think those guys took it upon themselves to be more aggressive because we were going to need guys to step up,” said Jones. “And they did.”
Jones is hopeful that sophomores Alexander and Spencer Joyner — also out with the flu — will make a return by Saturday at Holy Cross.
The Terriers scored 40 points in the paint. Navy (8-16, 5-6) had just 14. BU’s guards got to the rim and the forwards scored down low.
Senior forward Malcolm Chimezie scored eight points. Nobili had nine. Landrum netted seven. Defty had six and did not miss a shot.
“We have guards who can drive. We have bigs who just rebound and attack and can score at the rim,” Brewster said.
When BU wasn’t scoring at the rim, its guard penetration opened up kick outs for 3s.
“We got good looks,” said Jones. “We shared it well.”
The Terriers were 18-of-27 in the second half and 8 for 10 from 3.
“We made shots,” Jones said. “A guy goes 7 for 8, and a guy goes 10 for 11, you’re not losing that game.”
BU entered with the Patriot League’s lowest-scoring offense, worst field goal percentage and worst 3-point percentage during conference play. It scored just 47 points against Navy two weeks ago. None of that would have been evident on Wednesday night.
“Basketball is nuts,” said Jones. “We scored [47] points in that game. We had one possession where we missed like four 3s in a row, and it was all our better shooters.”
That 47-point outing at Navy was the worst of BU’s road struggles. But at 0-5 away from Case Gym during conference play, facing last-place Holy Cross (11-13, 3-8) at noon on Saturday, the Terriers finally need the breakthrough road win.
“This season has been a little nutty in terms of home and away,” Jones said.
“Hopefully, we have moved past some of our issues that we were having on the road in the league, and we’re gonna be more of the team that’s a little bit closer to what we saw tonight.”
The hot shooting and 3 point prowess certainly helped us dismantle Navy at home.
With the flu going around the locker room can we expect Ky to be back for Saturdays trip to HC?
He adds an extra dimension that we need to pull out a road victory this Saturday.
Thanks for the good work. It’s enjoyable to read.