Huskies Bounce Back in Battle of Young Teams
BOSTON – Northeastern has had some tough losses thus far this season. Four of their ten losses have been by three points or less. Most recently, they blew a 12-point halftime lead at William & Mary on Wednesday night and lost a heart-breaker for the second straight season in Williamsburg.
So needless to say, Saturday was a night where they hoped to bounce back. Although they did according to the final score, it didn’t come easily as they needed overtime to knock off Delaware by a score of 73-69.
The game was largely a back-and-forth affair, with the Blue Hens starting strong and the Huskies looking a bit undisciplined offensively in the first half. Both teams also started the second half cold, and at the end of the game, each team had as many turnovers as field goals. It was hardly an offensive clinic by either squad, although it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
It’s safe to say that the Huskies gutted this one out, with a better result than a few nights earlier.
“It’s a learning experience for our young club,” said head coach Bill Coen. “They’ve been in a lot of these close games already this season, and I think we’re learning as we go and learning on the job. I thought we handled ourselves a lot better down the stretch in this game than in previous games.”
While the Huskies have lost some close games, they have also pulled out a few close ones as well. Three of their wins have been by five points or less, so they haven’t just lost the close ones as some young teams do. Indeed, this has undoubtedly helped this young group mature.
“I think we’re more mature than the grade says on the roster,” said sophomore guard Matt Janning, who led the Huskies with 20 points and seven assists. “I think we’ve got some guys who can play older than that.”
The opponent was a team with plenty of youth as well, and one whose 5-1 CAA record entering the game seemed to indicate they were growing up. Perhaps the biggest sign of it is that star senior Herb Courtney’s numbers are down from last season, but not because he’s not playing as well. Instead, the Blue Hens don’t need him to put up huge numbers, as his supporting cast is much better and the results back that up.
Further demonstrating this was Saturday’s game, where Courtney wasn’t a factor at all. A technical foul in the first half earned him a seat on the bench, and he picked up his fourth and fifth fouls without playing much in the second half, exiting the game with just two points and no rebounds in 11 minutes. A year ago, an effort like that likely meant a blowout loss.
Yet the Blue Hens were right there throughout the game and had the lead at times in the second half. Freshman Alphonso Dawson, one of the better newcomers in the conference, had 19 points on 7-13 shooting to lead the Blue Hens, but he was limited in the second half due to cramps. Senior Sam McMahon, who has seemingly been lost in the shuffle of personnel, had 14 points off the bench. And sophomore Brian Johnson continues to grow at the point, making a lot of things happen throughout the game while scoring 14 points and handing out six assists.
Not only was Courtney not a factor, but junior wing Marc Egerson had to battle foul trouble, and as mentioned earlier Dawson was limited in the second half and didn’t get on the floor in the extra session. Despite all of it, the Blue Hens had a chance to win the game, a sign of their progress.
“If you had told me that was going to happen, and we were going to be in overtime, I wouldn’t have believed you,” said Delaware head coach Monte’ Ross, referring to the foul trouble of Egerson and Courtney and Dawson’s injury.
In a game featuring two teams that may well battle with higher stakes in the next few years, the Huskies got a good win. It wasn’t just because they beat a team that was 5-1 in the CAA entering the game. The fact that they bounced back from a heart-breaking loss a few nights earlier went a long way towards making it a good win as well.
Other Notable Games
Maryland 82, North Carolina 80: A double-double from James Gist (22 points, 13 rebounds) leads the Terrapins to a big win in Chapel Hill.
USC 72, UCLA 63: The Trojans win their second straight after starting off 0-3 in Pac-10 play. This was big since it came at Pauley Pavilion.
Tennessee 74, Ohio State 69: The Vols continue to roll, as they are now 16-1. The Buckeyes, on the other hand, have hit a rough patch as this is their third straight loss.
Kansas State 75, Texas A&M 54: The Wildcats continue a strong start in Big 12 play, as they’ve knocked off Oklahoma on the road and rolled over the Aggies. The Aggies have now lost two straight after winning eight straight games by at least 15 points.
Vanderbilt 92, LSU 76: The Commodores snap a two-game losing streak and send the struggling Tigers to 0-4 in SEC play.
Cincinnati 62, Pittsburgh 59: Who would have imagined that the Bearcats would be ahead of the Panthers in the Big East standings at this point? First Louisville, now the Panthers go down to the Bearcats.
Purdue 74, Illinois 67: Two teams going in opposite directions in this matchup. The Boilermakers are 4-1 in Big Ten play, while the struggling Illini are now 1-5.
Stanford 67, Arizona State 52: In sweeping this weekend’s home games, the Cardinal also hand the Sun Devils their first Pac-10 loss.
Villanova 81, Syracuse 71: Foul trouble hurt the Orange in this one, and they’re already a depleted team due to injuries. The Wildcats are one of seven teams with 3-2 Big East records.
Seton Hall 92, Louisville 82: The Pirates cap off a good week by getting their second straight win, and a very good one.
Mississippi State 66, Alabama 56: Good road win for the Tigers, who are 4-0 in SEC play.
Florida 81, Kentucky 70 (OT): The Gators simply took over the game in the extra session,out-scoring the Wildcats 20-9 to improve to 3-1 in the SEC.
Baylor 72, Nebraska 70: The Bears move to 3-0 with another road win, while the Cornhuskers have struggled out of the gates in Big 12 play as they are 0-3.
Arizona 79, California 75: This is a game the Wildcats needed to avoid dropping to 1-4 in Pac-10 play.
North Carolina State 79, Miami 77 (OT): The Wolfpack get on the board with their first ACC win, and hand Miami a second straight defeat.
Georgia Tech 81, Virginia Tech 70: The Yellow Jackets get their first ACC win.
Fordham 75, Duquesne 74: The Rams even their record overall (8-8) and in Atlantic 10 play (2-2) with this win.
Drake 79, Illinois State 73: This battle of unbeatens entering the game goes to the host Bulldogs, who improve to 7-0 in Missouri Valley play.
VCU 78, Old Dominion 68: A solid road win for the Rams puts them at 6-1 in the CAA.
George Mason 96, James Madison 75: Dre Smith’s 10-10 marksmanship from behind the arc set an NCAA record for three-pointers in a game without a miss. He had 34 points to lead the rout.
William & Mary 61, Towson 51: Quietly, the Tribe is 5-2 in CAA play.
Cleveland State 69, Valparaiso 63: The Vikings had no letdown following their big win over Butler on Thursday night. They remain one of the pleasant surprises of the season in improving to 7-0 in Horizon League play and 14-5 overall.
South Alabama 72, Arkansas-Little Rock 65: The Jaguars improve to 7-0 in Sun Belt play and remain a half game ahead of Western Kentucky.
Oral Roberts 76, Western Illinois 55: The Golden Eagles are now 7-0 in Summit League play, and got a little help from Centenary, which knocked off IUPUI to give them a two-game cushion.
Binghamton 62, UMBC 59: After this game, the Bearcats and Retrievers are tied at 4-2 in America East play.
Albany 73, Hartford 63: The Great Danes jump into the tie at 4-2 in America East play with this road win.
