Huskies Fall To Saints

This was a tough one. The Huskies started out leading 20-6, but the Saints came charging back. After a Matt Janning steal and floater at the buzzer, the Huskies led 26-20 at halftime. But the Saints came out strong in the second half, and edged the Huskies 59-53.

The Huskies struggled to score in the game, but the second half especially. They shot 34.9 percent for the game. But it was the game the Huskies wanted. Northeastern kept a team that scores in the 90's to just 59 points. It was the defensive game the Huskies wanted. But Nkem Ojougboh and Manny Adako got in foul trouble early, and were really taken out of the flow of the game. Chaisson Allen also did not play his best, neither did Matt Janning although he led the Huskies with 14 points, and they still had a chance to win. The Saints also shot 27 free-throws to the Huskies 8,, which is a huge difference.

With all of these factors, the Huskies still were only a few buckets away from beating a Top 25 team on the road in only their first game of the season. The Saints now extend their home winning streak to 22 games, the third longest streak in the country. Don't be fooled though, it's not so much the building an atmosphere, it's the team on the floor (and the teams that they play on that floor). Trust me, just about all of the CAA teams have tougher road crowds. Siena will undoubtedly be dancing in March, but the Huskies showed they could be there as well.

It doesn't get any easier for the Huskies. Saturday at 12 p.m. will be their home opener against Utah State, who won 30 games and made the NCAA Tournament last year, losing in the first round at the buzzer to a very good Marquette team. The Aggies, in my opinion, are an even better team than the Saints. There are no cupcakes on this schedule for the Huskies, hopefully they can find their scoring touch at the newly renovated Matthews Arena.