Huskies Lose A Thriller

The Huskies lost their third straight game on Wednesday night, this time in dramatic fashion.

After trailing by 8 with 1:43 left in the game, it looked bad for the Huskies. But Baptiste Bataille would lead the Huskies back, forcing a Georgia State turnover. Then with .8 seconds left, Bataille hit a long distance three-pointer to tie the game 68-68. The Huskies defended the Panthers well and knocked the ball away with 1.4 seconds left. However they could not complete the comeback, as the Panthers inbounded the ball from right in front of their bench, and threw a lob to a wide open Ousman Krubally who caught the ball and banked it home for the win, 70-68.

If there are any positives that come out of this game, it would be that the Huskies finally showed some fight and intensity in the last 2 minutes of the game. The only problem is that they needed that fight for the whole 40 minutes and for the past two weeks as well. Coach Coen let his team know that after the game. He told them he was proud of the comeback, but that it needed to be a constant fight instead of just a 2 minute one.

Matt Janning led the way for the Huskies with 15 points, but only took 10 shots. Chaisson Allen scored 8 points while grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists with only 1 turnover. Again, the Huskies allowed their opponent to score at will in the second half, as the Panthers scored 42. Georgia State also shot 55.8 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from three-point land.

Someone needs to step up and take control of this team. Janning started to do that in the second half when he drove to the basket on consecutive possessions and was fouled on both, but he did not continue attacking. The dog days of February are upon us, and it is time to step up and take over. But who will it be?

It will be off to Dayton, Ohio for the Huskies. They will depart on Thursday for their Saturday morning showdown with the Horizon League’s Wright State Raiders as a part of ESPNU’s BracketBuster weekend. The Huskies and Raiders will tip-off at 11 a.m. on ESPN2.

What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted?

The Huskies fell to George Mason on Saturday, dropping their third game in their past four contests.

Once again, it was the second half that plagued the Huskies. And again, they allowed 47 points in the second half to the Patriots, while keeping them to only 17 in the first half. Matt Janning scored 13 points, but again only took 13 shots, while Chris Alvarez and Matt Smith chipped in 7 points each.

Manny Adako was extremely under the weather, and only played 12 minutes all coming in the second half. After Adako was not able to attend practice Friday night and was only able to stomach down some soup, coach Coen decided to save him for the second half. The strategy paid off in that the Huskies were able to earn the lead at the half, but they again could not stop a second half onslaught by the opponent.

It was not a happy Valentine's Day for the Huskies. Luckily, Virginia Commonwealth also fell on Saturday. So the Huskies still are in first place, barely. It has been said many times on this site, and it will be said again; it is time for someone to step up and take control of the game for the Huskies. Someone needs to take the game into their hands and dominate, and get the bucket when they need it most. Until then, the Huskies will seemingly struggle. It will be back to the drawing board for Northeastern, as they host Georgia State on Wednesday night in Boston.

Dragons Catch Fire In Second Half To Beat Huskies

Any loss is tough. But it is especially hard when you give up more than three times the amount of points you did in the second half then you did in the first.

The Huskies fell to the Drexel Dragons 62-58, to bring them to 11-3 in the conference. At halftime, the Huskies led 23-15. Drexel would go on to score 47 second half points, after trailing by 13 points with 17 minutes to play, to beat the Huskies at home.

This is the second loss in past three games for the Huskies, who are searching for answers. Baptiste Bataille led the way for Northeastern with a career-high 19 points, and Matt Janning scored 15 points while only taking 13 shots. The Huskies missed 8 free throws and could not stop Scott Rodgers, who torched the Husky defense for 17 points while getting in the lane with ease and creating on almost every possession.

It only gets harder from here for Northeastern, who has to get on a plane and travel to George Mason for a Valentine’s Day showdown with the Patriots. We all remember the last time these two faced off, with the Huskies winning a thriller at Matthews Arena by one point.

Huskies Receive Top 25 Votes For Second Straight Week

Despite this weeks loss, the Huskies yet again received votes for the AP Top 25 Poll. Come out to Matthews Arena Wednesday night at 7 p.m. and cheer on your Huskies as they take on the Drexel Dragons in a key CAA matchup.

AP Top 25

1. Connecticut (67) 22-1 1,795

2. Oklahoma (3) 23-1 1,710

3. North Carolina (2) 21-2 1,672

4. Pittsburgh 21-2 1,583

5. Louisville 18-4 1,423

6. Duke 20-3 1,350

7. Wake Forest 18-3 1,242

8. Memphis 20-3 1,237

9. Michigan State 19-4 1,214

10. Marquette 20-3 1,137

11. UCLA 19-4 1,131

12. Clemson 19-3 1,097

13. Villanova 19-4 989

14. Xavier 20-3 893

15. Butler 21-2 762

16. Kansas 19-4 751

17. Missouri 20-4 395

18. Arizona State 18-5 389

19. Gonzaga 17-5 361

20. Purdue 17-6 353

21. Utah State 23-1 317

22. Illinois 19-5 303

23. Syracuse 18-6 280

24. Ohio State 17-5 216

25. Florida State 18-5 182

Others Receiving Votes LSU 167, Washington 135, Texas 106, Florida 66, Minnesota 43, Dayton 31, California 16, Kansas State 8, West Virginia 8, South Carolina 7, Davidson 7, Miami (FL) 7, Utah 4, Arizona 4, San Diego State 2, Siena 2, Northeastern 2, Robert Morris 1, Boston College 1, Green Bay 1. Dropped From Rankings Texas 16, Minnesota 19, Washington 22.

Huskies Take On Wright State on ESPN2

The Huskies will take on Wright State on February 21^st at 11 a.m. on ESPN2. Be sure to tune in and root for the Huskies as they take on the Raiders in Dayton, Ohio in this year’s ESPNU BracketBusters showdown.

Red Hot Shooting Leads Huskies To Victory

After a tough loss on the road, the Huskies bounced back Saturday at home with a win over UNC-Wilmington 77-65.

The Seahawks jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but the Huskies climbed back into it against the worst defensive team (statistically) in the country. For the game, Northeastern shot 56.3 percent from the floor and 41 percent from three. Chaisson Allen was red hot, scoring a career high 21 points, 15 of those coming in the first half. Baptiste Bataille also recorded a career high with 14 points, while going 4-9 from behind the arc. Matt Janning scored 13 points, despite only shooting the ball 8 times, and Eugene Spates also recorded double-figures with 11 points.

Seahawks star Chad Tomko was not much of a factor in the game, saddled with foul trouble for most of it. However in his only 14 minutes of play, Tomko scored 9 points on 3 of 5 shooting from the three-point line. As a team, the Seahawks shot 43 percent from the floor and matched the Huskies 41 percent from three.

A win is a win, and the Huskies will certainly take it. But the intensity is still not where it needs to be, and has not been at the same level since the VCU game. With Drexel coming into Matthews Arena Wednesday night, the Huskies will need to get it back to that level as the Dragons have won 6 out of their last 8 conference games.

Tribe Leave Huskies Looking For Answers

Northeastern suffered their second loss in conference Wednesday night at the hands of the William & Mary Tribe.

This loss marks the second road loss in the past four road games for the Huskies. Luckily, Virginia Commonwealth also suffered a loss tonight, so the Huskies still hold first place in the CAA by 1 full game. The Huskies still have never won at William & Mary.

After trailing by 2 at halftime, the Tribe came out firing in the second half, hitting three of their first four three-pointers. The lead was built up to as many as 13 points with 11:58 to play.

But Allen Aragbaye and Baptiste Bataille came in and sparked the Huskies comeback. Northeastern came within 3 points, but could not get any closer. The Tribe shot 47.5 percent from the floor, while holding the Huskies to 39.6 percent and therefore won the game 68-63.

Coach Coen told his team that losing to the last place team in the conference was not an upset. There are no upsets in this league. The same team that played against VCU has not returned from that game, which is what Coen and his staff are most angry about.

Chaisson Allen led the Huskies with 12 points before fouling out, while Matt Janning and Manny Adako scored 10 each. But the Huskies just were not there tonight. Janning took 7 of his 12 shots late in the second half when the Huskies need to score quickly and foul. It was a game where someone needed to take over and rally the troops, yet nobody did. Nkem Ojougboh was again absent, scoring 3 points and only grabbing 1 board.

For the Huskies it will be a 5 a.m. bus ride to Richmond where they will fly back to Boston and return to classes. But it will be hard to sleep tonight after this tough loss. The Huskies will host UNC-Wilmington Saturday at 1 p.m. at Matthews Arena. The Seahawks are coming off of a huge 10 point win tonight over VCU at home. With the Huskies struggling and the Seahawks riding high off of a big win, it should be an interesting game.

Huskies Draw Wright State

It has just been announced on ESPNU that the Huskies will travel to Wright State on Saturday February 21st.

ESPNU BracketBusters Selection Show

Tonight the pairings for the ESPNU BracketBusters will be announced at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Check here for the up to the minute update on where and who your Huskies will play on February 20th or 21st.

Huskies Receive Top 25 Votes

The Huskies big week has gotten them some recognition, receiving 3 votes in this weeks AP Top 25 Poll.
AP Top 25
1. Connecticut (64) 20-1 1,792
2. Oklahoma (5) 21-1 1,691
3. North Carolina (3) 19-2 1,639
4. Duke 19-2 1,563
5. Louisville 17-3 1,464
6. Pittsburgh 19-2 1,427
7. Wake Forest 17-2 1,409
8. Marquette 19-2 1,358
9. Xavier 19-2 1,176
10. Clemson 18-2 1,077
11. Butler 19-1 1,051
12. Purdue 17-4 961
13. Michigan State 17-4 876
14. Memphis 18-3 798
15. UCLA 17-4 787
16. Texas 15-5 724
17. Villanova 17-4 698
18. Gonzaga 16-4 632
19. Minnesota 18-3 426
20. Syracuse 17-5 415
21. Kansas 17-4 316
22. Washington 16-5 216
23. Illinois 18-4 198
24. Arizona State 16-5 146
25. Utah State 21-1 99
Others Receiving Votes
Dayton 95, Davidson 85, Missouri 39, Penn State 37, LSU 36, South Carolina 33, West Virginia 33, UNLV 29, Florida 24, Providence 14, USC 8, Notre Dame 7, Siena 4, Kansas State 4, Ohio State 3, Northeastern 3, Kentucky 2, Arizona 2, Florida State 1, Northern Iowa 1, Virginia Military 1.
Dropped From Rankings
Saint Mary's 22, Kentucky 24, Georgetown 25.

Huskies Sweep Hens

The Huskies took care of business on Saturday when they defeated the University of Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens 73-59 at Matthews Arena. This marked the ninth straight win over Delaware for the Huskies, who swept them again this season.

Early on, the Huskies did not look good and trailed 16-10 with 9:51 left in the first half. Nothing was falling for Northeastern early, and they seemed a little flat. But they would battle back, with a 22-6 run to end the half including a circus shot from Matt Janning as he threw one up from almost behind the backboard while being fouled by Alphonso Dawson.

In the second half, Marc Egerson helped keep the Hens in it by scoring 16 of his 26 points. But the Huskies were just too much for the struggling Delaware club. Matt Janning scored 19 points, Manny Adako scored 17 points along with 7 rebounds, and Chaisson Allen was huge with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals, seemingly breaking out of his mini slump.

After three high intensity and emotion games, there seemed to be a little let down in the Huskies play. But they got it together and came out on top fairly easily, improving to 10-1 in conference and 15-6 overall. Now it’s time to go back to Virginia to take on William & Mary. The Tribe are in last place in the CAA at 1-10 in conference and 6-15 overall. Wednesday night’s game will be at 7 p.m. and will air on CSN and ESPN360.com.

Fight For First Won By Northeastern

Waiting for the Huskies on their fifth day in Virginia was the VCU Rams.

The Huskies went into the Siegel Center tied for first with VCU in the CAA. As the bus pulled out of the hotel and drove down the street to the arena, you could see the long line of people waiting to get into the game. The players knew what they were in for, and poised to close this trip out the right way.

Before the game coach Coen emphasized that this night was what the team had worked for all summer. The players took it to heart, and came out firing opening up a 29-13 lead with 6:27 left.

However the Rams, led by Eric Maynor’s 30 points, were not about to lay down and die. They closed the half on a 17-5 run, to cut the Huskies lead to 34-30 at the half.

The second half started just as the first one began, with the Huskies catching fire early. Two Eugene Spates three-pointers and another one from Chaisson Allen gave the Huskies a 50-41 lead for Northeastern. Then Maynor got hot and brought the Rams back scoring 14 of their next 18 points to make it 52-46 with 6:37 left to play.

But Eugene Spates kept the Husky attack on point with his fourth three-pointer of the night to make it 57-46 with 5:52 remaining. Things got a little chippy from there when Maynor was fouled by Janning on a breakaway and proceeded to throw him to the ground and yell over him and then into the camera. Manny Adako then pushed Maynor into the front row, and was then pushed himself by Bradford Burgess. Eugene Spates then went to go pick up Janning who was still laying on the ground, and Maynor proceeded to go at Spates until the referee stepped in. But Maynor did not stop there, he actually got into it with the official and had to be separated from him, yet he was given no technical foul.

So Maynor shoves Janning to the ground and on the replay it looks like he swings his arm at Janning’s face, almost like a punch. He then stands over him and screams at him, does not move and screams for into the camera for more media attention, tries to start up a fight with Spates, and then gets into it with the official! Out of a possible four technical fouls Maynor could have earned, he did not receive one. Adako and Burgess were each hit with one, which offset, and Maynor shot the one free throw on the original foul, making the score 58-54 with 2:09 remaining.

Just when it looked like the Huskies would get rattled, they didn’t. Baptiste Bataille came up big in the clutch for the Huskies, hitting four key free throws down the stretch, while also bothering Maynor on one of his final shot attempts from deep. Nkem Ojougboh also came up big with a monster rejection of Ed Nixon’s lay up attempt. Chris Alvarez, who played big for the Huskies scoring 4 points while grabbing 8 rebounds, hit a free throw with 25 seconds left to give the Huskies a 64-61 lead. Maynor missed a three-pointer, and the Huskies hit their free throws to seal the victory, 68-63.

What a historical week for the Huskies, beating George Mason, Old Dominion, and Virginia Commonwealth in a row. If somebody knows if this is correct or incorrect let me know, but from what I’ve gathered, the Huskies may have made history in beating those three teams in a row. Now, Northeastern can look at the standings and see themselves in first place, all alone.

Historical Win For The Huskies

The Huskies, once again, started a two game road trip. This time it began at Old Dominion. For the first time in school history, the Huskies went into Old Dominion and won, and did so convincingly 58-42.

Things did not look good at the start for Northeastern, as they trailed 22-7 early, and Matt Janning was already saddled with 2 quick fouls. But they ended the half on a 14-2 run, sparked by a Eugene Spates three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer from beyond the coach’s box, to trail 24-21.

Then, Matt Janning absolutely took over. Janning when for 20 of his 24 points in the second half and absolutely ripped the heart out of the Monarchs without any remorse. The Husky defense was scary good in the second half, holding the Monarchs to 18 points and to 29 percent shooting from the field for the game.

Everyone was fired up after the game. It was such a convincing win, in a very hostile environment where it is not common for the road team to win. The Monarchs possibly had even more to play for, knowing that if they lost they would be all but eliminated from earning a bye in the first round of the CAA Tournament. But the Huskies were focused and determined to win this game. Next for the Huskies will be a showdown at VCU for first place.

No Love Lost

George Mason came into Matthews Arena undefeated, but they did not leave unblemished.

Northeastern came out with something to prove, and hungry after letting one get away from them against Hofstra. It was the Patriots who eliminated the Huskies in the CAA Tournament last year, and the Huskies were not about to lose on their home floor to them.

The game was as good as it was built up to be. Both teams obviously being talked about highly in the conference, they certainly did not disappoint. Early on, the Huskies led 10-2. But it tightened as the Patriots, led by John Vaughan, were ready for a fight.

At the half, the Huskies led 32-25 after a Eugene Spates lay up. The second half was filled with drama, especially the very scary situation involving John Vaughan. After suffering an inadvertent elbow from Eugene Spates while fighting for a rebound, Vaughan fell to the floor. He was able to get up and walk down the court as Nkem Ojougboh was about to shoot free throws.

After Ojougboh hit the first free throw, Vaughan walked across the lane. As he walked back to his spot, he slowly fell to the floor and laid there with his arms crossed over his face. The trainers rushed out from both teams to attend to Vaughan and handled the situation swiftly and professionally. The players stood in silence for almost 20 minutes until Vaughan was transported to Beth Israel Hospital. Vaughan was diagnosed with a concussion, and will only miss a week of basketball.

Ojougboh made the second free throw to give the Huskies a 56-51 lead with 2:16 left to play. Then the game got even crazier. Darryl Monroe scored for the Patriots on the next possession to make it 56-53 in favor of the Huskies. As Ojougboh held the ball at the top of the key, Andre Cornelius snuck around and stole the ball from Ojougboh and went coast-to-coast for the lay up.

The Patriots again stole the ball, this time it was Monroe. Cam Long was then fouled by Ojougboh. Long connected on both free throws to give the Patriots the lead 57-56 with 56 seconds remaining. With the clock winding down, Baptiste Bataille drove the lane and faked a pass to the corner, then threw a no-look pass to Manny Adako who finished with a lay up to give the Huskies a 58-57 lead with 25 seconds left.

Once crossing half court, the Patriots took a timeout with 18 seconds left. The Huskies, who had a foul to give, fouled with 12 seconds left. The Patriots passed the ball around the perimeter and tried to get a shot off but the Huskies knocked a pass away and then the ball was tossed into the air and came nowhere close to the basket and the Huskies came away on top 58-57.

Not only did the Huskies hand the Patriots their first loss, but they moved into a tie for first place with Virginia Commonwealth. It was a crazy night for everyone, and the Huskies were glad to come out on top. When the Huskies head down for a Valentine’s Day showdown with the Patriots, there will certainly be no love lost.

Pride Hand Huskies First Loss

For the first time this year, the Huskies lost a conference game. The Hofstra Pride defeated the Huskies 57-52 in a wild one on the road.

The field goal challenge given to the Huskies has proven to be the deciding factor in every conference game thus far. Hofstra shot 41 percent from the field, and won the game.

Having to travel three hours and given only one day to prepare can factor into losses, but the Huskies are not a team that looks to make excuses. Matt Janning scored 14 points, but only scoring 2 of them in the second half. Manny Adako scored 13 points before fouling out with 45 seconds to play.

Adako hit a lay up with 1:09 left in the game to put the Huskies ahead 51-50. He then fouled out when Charles Jenkins drove to the hoop on the next play and connected on both free throws to put the Pride ahead 52-51. After a Janning turnover and foul, the Pride led 54-51. Janning was then fouled, and made only one free throw to cut the lead to 54-52. The Pride did their part to give the Huskies one more chance when Tony Dennison missed 1 of 2 free throws to make it 55-52 with 18 seconds left.

The Huskies got what they wanted on the next possession, when Janning came off a screen and had a great look at a three-pointer with 14 seconds left. But he missed, and Chris Alvarez grabbed the rebound and then double-pumped in the corner and missed a three of his own. Jenkins grabbed the rebound and was fouled, and made both free throws to end the game.

You could hear a pin drop in the locker room after the game. Disappointed, Coach Coen told his team that one loss does not end the season. “A wise man once told me, if you never lose two in a row in a season, you’ll have a pretty good year,” Coen said.

Hofstra was ready for the Huskies. They did not forget about the way the Huskies dominated them back in Boston. Pride coach Tom Pecora earlier in the week called it a “pride game” for his team. Although the Huskies did not play their best game, they still had a chance to win. This will definitely serve as motivation for the Huskies as they move ahead.

Northeastern Tops Delaware

The success for Northeastern against Delaware continues, as the Huskies traveled into Newark and came out on top 67-47.

It was another early spurt that helped in the victory, as Northeastern jumped out to an early 23-8 lead. But the Blue Hens had a run of their own, closing the half on a 14-2 run to make the score at halftime 32-25.

In the second half the Huskies were just too much for the Blue Hens, especially in the post. Nkem Ojougboh scored 12 points to go along with 9 rebounds, while Manny Adako did his part with 10 points and 8 rebounds of his own. The Husky backcourt was strong as well, with Matt Janning, Chaisson Allen, and Eugene Spates scoring 12, 10, and 9 points, respectively.

The 6-0 start in conference play can simply be attributed to the six straight games now that the Huskies have held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting. This time, Delaware shot 30.9 percent.

Tigers Tamed At Matthews

Another hot start for the Huskies helped them improve to 5-0 in conference with a 68-53 win over Towson.

The Huskies jumped out to a 17-0 lead until the Tigers finally scored at 13:25. At the half, Northeastern led 35-17. But the Tigers, led by Josh Thornton’s 25, would not go away in the second half.

Thornton poured in 16 in the second half, hitting 5 out of his 6 three-pointers in the period. The Tigers came within 4, 50-46, when the Huskies slammed the door, literally. Baptiste Bataille stole the ball, and then threw a no-look behind the back bounce pass to Matt Janning who slammed it home.

Manny Adako put the Huskies on his back, scoring 24 points on 12 of 15 shooting while also grabbing 12 rebounds. Matt Janning had 16 points of his own, along with 7 rebounds. Yet again, the opposition was held under 40 percent shooting (34.7), while the Huskies shot 51 percent.

The Huskies won their past four games in seven days, and now will get a nice five day break before hitting the road again for a two game trip to Delaware and Hofstra.

Smith Leads Huskies In Atlanta

When you’re hot, you’re hot, and the Huskies stayed that way down in Atlanta defeating Georgia State 68-54.

Right from the start, Northeastern came out firing. Jumping out to 31-10 lead with 8:38 left to play in the first half, the Huskies finally caught cold. They did not score for the rest of the half, yet still took the halftime lead 31-18.

All year long, Coach Coen has told his players that if they work hard, everyone will have a chance to win the team a game this season. This time, it was Matt Smith’s turn. Despite sitting the whole first half, Smith came in during the second half and knocked down 3 three-pointers to help the Huskies come away with the victory.

For the first time in his career, Matt Janning recorded a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Manny Adako enjoyed home, while overcoming foul trouble, scoring 13 points. Chaisson Allen once again put up big numbers, scoring 14 points and pulling down 8 rebounds.

Now 4-0 in the conference, the Huskies are firing on all cylinders. And once again, they met the staff’s challenge by holding the Panthers to 38 percent from the field and 21% from downtown.

Huskies Stay Hot

The Huskies remain perfect in conference play after putting a hurting on the Hofstra Pride, 73-50.

It was the big men today who paced the Huskies. Nkem Ojougboh scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, while Manny Adako scored 16 while snatching 3 rebounds. Chaisson Allen, despite shooting 2 for 11, finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals.

Eugene Spates sparked the onslaught with three triples in the first half. Matt Janning scored 10 for the Huskies along with 3 assists, while only shooting 4-12 from the field including 0-4 from three.

Most important for the Huskies was their suffocating defense. The Pride finished shooting only 38 percent from the field. The coaching staff has set a challenge to the team; to see how many times they can hold a team under 40% from the field. So far, they are taking that challenge very seriously.