Despite an aggressive start and lead throughout the first half, the Boston University’s men’s basketball fell to the College of the Holy Cross 65-63 on Monday night.

BU was the first to score as freshman guard Matai Baptiste made a jump shot after two minutes of stalemate play. Sophomore forward Otto Landrum put early points on the board with an offensive rebound and putback to build the Terriers’ early lead.

The Terriers (8-14, 3-6 Patriot League) opened the game strong defensively, keeping the Crusaders (6-16, 3-6 PL) at bay. After four scoreless minutes, the Crusaders started to gain momentum once they scored at the foul line.

“We were playing to our identity,” said BU head coach Joe Jones. “We’ve tried to change our identity. We tried to go to the basket more and put more pressure on the paint.”

Junior guard Ben Palacios and senior captain guard Miles Brewster made three consecutive three-pointers in the first half, giving the Terriers an early 19-9 lead. Brewster put up 13 points as the Terriers’ top scorer of the night.

BU led Holy Cross 37-33 at the end of the first half.

The Crusaders found their game in the second half, as they quickly climbed back after trailing the Terriers for the entire first half. 

Both teams were revitalized after halftime, showing strong defense that hindered the ability for either to score for almost four minutes late in the game. 

Eventually, Holy Cross’ freshman guard Kahlil Singleton couldn’t be controlled as he drove the Crusader’s comeback with back-to-back three-pointers, bringing the score to 44-40.

The Crusaders also had big games from junior forward Caleb Kenney (12 points, 12 rebounds) and senior guard Bo Montgomery (15 points, 6 rebounds).

In the middle of the second half, Singleton sank two three-pointers in a 30-second span to give the Crusaders a 57-53 lead. 

The Holy Cross crowd became increasingly louder as the Terriers’ defense crumbled as Holy Cross scored 13 unanswered points in the middle of the second half.

“As soon as the second half started, I saw right away we weren’t locked in and it’s been a problem,” Jones said. “I thought tonight was more about our second half issues defensively. That was a bigger issue than coming out flat.”

After falling nine points behind late in the game, the Terriers clawed back to cut the lead to 64-63 with seven seconds left.

Contributing for BU was freshman guard Kyrone Alexander with 12 points and 7 rebounds, and junior guard Ethan Okwuosa with 10 points.

Singleton’s flurry of baskets, who totaled a game-high 18 points, and late-game cold shooting ultimately ended hopes of securing a Terrier victory. 

“We didn’t compete the way that you have to compete to win consistently,” Jones said. “And I thought they [Holy Cross] made some really impactful defensive plays that made it hard for us to score when we did get a good look at the best.”

The results of this game will be accounted for in the Turnpike Trophy competition between BU and Holy Cross, a yearly contest compiling games between the two schools in various sports. 

The Terriers will face Lehigh University on Saturday. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.