Photo: Darren J. Costa

RICHMOND, VA. — Another season, another agonizing defeat in the CAA Tournament. Anyone will tell you that this one hurt the most. Five seniors leading the way for Northeastern were stopped short in their quest to play for a chance at the NCAA Tournament. Last night at the Richmond Coliseum, the Huskies lost a nailbiter to the William & Mary Tribe, 47-45, after mounting an inspired comeback to take a 1-point lead in the final minute

Rewind three weeks ago to Williamsburg, VA, when the Huskies took a 4-game wining streak to face William & Mary on the road in front of a raucous yellow and green crowd. It didn’t take long for the Tribe to jump all over Northeastern; the Huskies trailed 28-16 at the half with signs of life. Things got progressively worse in the first 11 minutes of the second half as the Huskies trailed 40-24 with 9:16 to play. And then, something clicked. A flurry of three pointers and continuations put the Huskies up 52-51 with just 23 seconds to play. Only a stray carom into the hands of Sophomore Kendrix Brown was the difference - he tipped in an errant shot from teammate David Schneider with three seconds left to give the Tribe a 53-52 win.

Last night at the Richmond Coliseum was eerily all too similar to that night in Williamsburg, VA. The Huskies shot 24 percent in the first half en route to a 14-point halftime deficit, their largest this season in conference play. Matt Janning and Chaisson Allen were struggling at the half, which left a glimmer of hope that these guys would come back like they did in Williamsburg, with a favorable outcome.

Just before the start of the second half, the starters collected into a huddle at mid-court and did not release for about ten seconds. Who knows what was said in that small huddle on the court, or in the locker room at half-time, but whatever it was worked and the Huskies played with a purpose. An Alwayne Bigby baseline lay-in plus a foul got things kicked off and at just about the same moment the Huskies started their run 3 weeks ago, the game was tied at 37 apiece.

Defensive intensity was up, and the pace quickened for Northeastern, turning the game into a back and forth battle down the stretch. A fortunate bounce off the fingertips of Marcus Kitts on a put-back gave the Tribe a 44-43 lead and on the subsequent play, Manny Adako (14 pts 7 reb), came down and calmly knocked down his patented turnaround hook in the lane, and the Huskies grabbed the lead with just under a minute to play.

It looked like Northeastern might be able to pull it out. Then, the dagger: David Schneider, who was held scoreless on 0-8 shooting and 1-7 from beyond the arc, slipped open for a right wing 3 and there was no doubt when it left his hands. The Tribe took the lead by 2, which would be the final score. The Huskies had their looks in the final 29 seconds, some better than others, but none went down as close as it seemed.

I said to my colleague Jason Lavine during that final sequence, when the team earned so many opportunities, that if it was meant to be, it would be. For this Huskies team last night, it was not meant to be. It was a heartbreaking defeat not only in losing the game, but that a potential trip to the NCAA’s was lost as well.

However, no player on this team should be ashamed of the outcome. The play of the Huskies in the second half epitomized everything Coach Bill Coen and his staff, the five seniors, and the rest of the team have worked towards over the last four years. You could see by the players’ reactions how badly they wanted it and how much heart they showed on that court in trying to achieve their ultimate goal.

I don’t think any other team in this conference has fought as hard as Northeastern this year. NU had a 5-0 combined record against Old Dominion, VCU, and George Mason; arguably the toughest teams in the conference. This season they bolstered their highest CAA win total ever, had two players reach 1,000 point plateaus, surged to an 11-game winning streak, and nearly made it to the CAA Championship game. People hate to talk about moral victories, but each year only one champion can be crowned. Unfortunately for the Huskies, this year isn’t their year, but their time is coming soon.

Will Klaynman is a basketball commentator for WRBB Sports. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.

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