BOSTON – One game at a time, Northeastern looks more and more like a team that learned the painful lesson of last season. The latest example of this was the Huskies’ 62-53 victory over Georgia State on a snowy night in Boston.
Last season, the Huskies’ February slump included a home loss at the buzzer to the Panthers. The Panthers were hitting their stride at that time, but the Huskies were simply not playing well and that home loss stung. This time around, Georgia State entered as a streaky team fresh off a loss, and the Huskies were determined to keep it that way.
It started out well, but the Huskies hit a rough patch when the Panthers went on a 10-0 run to take a 21-15 lead. The Huskies had gone cold on offense, but once Chaisson Allen returned they had some life and went on a 9-1 run to regain the lead. Both teams had a sluggish start to the second half, before the Huskies went on a decisive 8-0 run beginning at the halfway point to take the game’s largest lead at 47-37.
“I think the game changed when we got that 10-point cushion,” said head coach Bill Coen.
The Panthers responded by scoring the next seven points, but would never get a chance to tie the game. Down the stretch, the Huskies got clutch plays at both ends from players like Allen and senior Manny Adako, and that came after Matt Janning was the steady hand all night long.
Not only has this been a determined bunch, but they are getting stronger as the season goes along. Coen is increasingly able to go to his bench for more minutes aside from Baptiste Bataille, the senior guard who has basically played the kind of minutes starters often play all season long. Each time out, Kauri Black looks better and more confident; he blocked two shots in the latter part of the second half. Vinny Lima is earning more minutes with better play, and Joel Smith has seen spot minutes during the season but hit a crucial three-pointer to start the decisive second-half run.
“I thought we got good energy from the guys off the bench,” said Coen, who saw his reserves score just three points but play a key role in the second-half defense that held the Panthers below 35 percent from the field.
With the win, Northeastern remains on top in the Colonial Athletic Association. They have won four straight since losing to Drexel, and overall have won 15 of 16. Along the way, they are riding some of the time-tested things to victory: defense and veteran leadership. Georgia State is the third straight opponent the Huskies have held below 40 percent shooting, and the fifth in seven games. No opponent has shot better than 43 percent against them in the last nine games.
Perhaps the most telling defensive statistic is an individual one. Georgia State guard Joe Dukes, one of the better guards in the CAA, was scoreless on the night. Dukes had six assists with one turnover while playing hurt, and despite the injury he has been perhaps the most consistent Panther on the season. But the Huskies shut him down.
The veterans were the players who came up big, from Janning in the first half to Adako and Allen in the second. Janning and Allen combined to go 12-23 from the field and 10-12 from the free throw line in a combined 77 minutes.
“I think you’ll see all around the country that February is usually upset month, where guys get a little bit mentally fatigued from the season,” said Coen. “That’s where I think our experience can come in. They’ve already lived through that last year, and they’re determined for it not to happen again.”
With each passing game, the Huskies definitely look like a team that has learned the lessons from last season. Wednesday night’s win matches the team’s February win total of a season ago with five games to play. More importantly, they won another game that at times had the look of being one that could slip away, and perhaps might have slipped away a year ago.
