The Orange and Blue men’s basketball team defeated both Loyola University (Md.) and Boston University by double digits on Jan. 18 and Jan. 21, respectively, strengthening the Bison’s hold over the first place spot in the Patriot League. The two games featured career highlights for standout Nana Foulland ’18.

The Bison hosted the match against Loyola on Jan. 18. After starting the game strongly, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, Loyola’s two leading scorers were held scoreless for the first half of the game. The success on defense sparked a 19-5 run, which included a milestone for Foulland. With 1:05 minutes left in the first half, Foulland scored his 1,000th career point when he scored a jump-hook shot.  He is now among only 40 Bison to score 1,000 points, one of only 21 students to do so by his third year, and one of 19 players in school history to record at least 1,000 points and 500 rebounds.

An overall strong team performance left the team with a 46-26 lead at halftime. Hoping to carry the momentum, the Bison started the second half strongly. Ben Robertson ’20 extended the Orange and Blue’s lead to 28 when he went coast-coast with a steal, finishing at the other end with a dunk.  Despite the strong performance seen throughout the game, the Bison were only able to add seven points over the course of the final eight minutes. Thanks to a strong performance by Zach Thomas ’18, who lead the Bison with 18 points and 11 rebounds, the Orange and Blue secured the 76-63 win over Loyola.

Despite a strong showing against Loyola, the Bison struggled offensively in the first half against Boston University on Jan. 21. Boston University started the game by recording ten steals and forcing 12 turnovers in the first half. Despite shooting 35 percent from the field and missing all six three-point attempts, the Bison only trailed by seven points at the half. After being held scoreless in the first half, Stephen Brown ’18 and Kimbal Mackenzie ’19 had strong second half performances, finishing with ten and 12 points, respectively. With a back and back performance in the second half, the Bison were able to close the gap to six points, trailing 52-46.  After a layup by Mackenzie, the Bison evened the score to 52-52.  Riding the momentum following two blocks by Thomas, the Bison took the lead 53-52 after Avi Toomer ’20 scored on one of his two free throws.  A series of three-pointers extended the Bison lead by seven points to 64-57 with less than a minute on the clock.  The Bison capped off the win 70-59, with a noticeably strong performance by Foulland, who scored a career-high-tying 23 points, grabbed six rebounds, and recorded four blocks.

The Orange and Blue will look to improve their record as they travel to Army West Point on Jan. 28 and host American on Feb. 1.