BOSTON – With an 11-game winning streak and an 8-1 start in the CAA, one had to wonder if Northeastern could avoid a repeat of last season, where they clearly peaked too soon. They never played at the same level after they reached 9-1 in the CAA with a win at VCU, which followed wins over George Mason (home) and Old Dominion (road). This season would provide a chance to see if they learned from the experience.
The early indication is that they have. Last year, the Huskies may have won at Drexel and at Wright State in the BracketBusters game, but they didn’t have a win like Saturday’s 74-64 win over Old Dominion during the last month of play. The Monarchs rode an eight-game winning streak into the contest and were looking very much like the conference favorites they were projected to be in the preseason.
Not only that, but the Huskies had to survive a pretty good second half from the Monarchs, who disrupted them constantly but couldn’t get much going on offense to take advantage. The Monarchs had the momentum on several occasions, and when they got within 52-46 Husky fans had to wonder if this team could hold them off.
But this team is different. This team has already been humbled thanks to a 2-7 start with a very tough non-conference schedule. They already survived a very difficult stretch. This team with an odd mix of seasoned veterans and young players has learned how to get through a rough patch, and it showed.
After the Monarchs got within six, the Huskies scored the next six points and led by double digits until just under two minutes were left, at which point they got the lead back to double digits on the next possession. At that point, they could breathe a little easier while sealing the game with more free throws.
Without question, the win itself is important as they bounced back. But just as important is how they won, withstanding a big second half by Old Dominion and stretches where they seemed on the verge of breaking through and taking over the game. They did it the way they have won games since late December, when they recommitted themselves to being a good defensive team. The Monarchs shot 40 percent from the field in the second half.
“We came in the huddle at the first TV timeout and decided we needed to step up our defense,” said junior guard Chaisson Allen, who had a game-high 19 points and six assists with just one turnover. “When you can’t find your offense, you know you can work on defense and get turnovers that turn into points.”
That the Huskies continued the solid defense and played a better overall game is exactly why this game is a big positive sign for them. The feeling is that they didn’t play well as a team against Drexel, often playing too much one-on-one basketball against a team that isn’t a good matchup for them in that style of game. Old Dominion, with its size and length, would be a bad matchup in a similar sense, and the difference in how the Huskies played could be seen in the end result.
It all adds up to a feeling that last season was a lesson learned, along with earlier this season.
“I think it definitely is a huge learning experience, especially for us older guys, and now we can pass what we went through down to some of the freshmen that are playing big minutes for us this year,” said senior Matt Janning. “We went through that stretch last year where we won some big games, and then it’s like the energy level completely dropped off. I don’t think it’s going to happen this year – it hasn’t yet – and we’ve just got to, like Chase said, maintain our focus, keep the energy high, and keep using each other and getting better.”
Northeastern is back on track after this win. They are right back in the thick of the CAA race, but more importantly, they are looking like a team that won’t repeat the last month and a half of last season. They don’t look like a team that has peaked yet, which would be too soon.
