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Northeastern coach Jim Madigan talked about the crushing breakaway game-winning goal for the Riverhawks in overtime, as well as the team’s inconsistency this season.
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LOWELL, MASS. — The score line told the story. Northeastern played a relatively even first period, but UMass-Lowell’s relentless forecheck and sparkling goaltending from Doug Carr overwhelmed a shaken Northeastern Huskies team, as the Riverhawks claimed a 4-0 win at the Tsongas Center on Friday night. It was the first time the Huskies had suffered a shutout loss this season, and marked the Huskies’ 3rd consecutive defeat, putting NU in a dangerous position in the race for the playoffs. Lowell’s top freshman (and lone NHL draft pick) Scott Wilson scored two goals en route to the victory, Lowell’s 13th.
Our thoughts after the jump: Read more…
Panthers head coach Ron Hunter addressed the media following a 60-57 loss at Northeastern. He discussed his team’s recent success, and how this season has been an adjustment for both him and his team.
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Bill Coen talked about a solid team effort that led NU to a home victory against a tough, defensive team that had been tied for first in the conference standings.
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What happened?
The Huskies got off to a less than desirable start Wednesday night at Hofstra, and that’s putting it kindly. An 0 for 8 start from the floor, combined with a 4 for 6 start from Hofstra, put the visiting Huskies in an early 9-0 hole and forced NU head coach Bill Coen to go to his bench immediately to try and light a spark. The jump start instead came courtesy of Joel Smith, who ran off eight points of his own as Northeastern responded with a 12-0 run to take a 12-9 lead just prior to the second media timeout of the half. From that point on both clubs exchanged leads, four times to be exact, and entered the locker room knotted up at 24.
The scoring picked up in the second half as the Pride’s Nathaniel Lester began to establish himself down low. The Pride held a lead for the majority of the stanza, but the Huskies never fell behind by any more than seven points as Jonathan Lee, who only had two points in the first half, began to heat up as the contest wore on. Lee kept the Huskies in the game, at one point scoring 13 of his team’s 15 points in a seven minute stretch. Much like the his teammate Lee, Husky freshman Quincy Ford came to life when his team needed him, scoring all nine of his points in the second half, scoring six straight points for his team at one juncture. Lee and Smith led Northeastern down the stretch as a Lee jumper tied the score at 56 with 2:45 to go.
After the Pride went back up by three, Smith converted on a three-point play to again make things even with 1:47 on the clock. Ford gave Northeastern a 62-60 lead with two free throws with 48 ticks remaining, but a Lester layup immediately after tied it at 62 with 41 seconds to go. On the ensuing possession, NU used the majority of the shot clock until Lee calmly drilled a mid-range jump shot with 9.7 seconds remaining to push the visitors ahead 64-62. Hofstra looked to Lester on the next trip up the floor, but the senior stepped out of bounds near his bench and gave the ball back to Northeastern. Lee had a chance to ice the game with free throws with 4.6 remaining, but could not convert on the one-and-one try. Hofstra grabbed the missed shot and sent a last second heave from half court, but the heave fell short and the Huskies escaped with a 64-62 victory.
Player of the Game:
Give it up for the captains, Lee and Smith. Quite simply, without these two Northeastern leaves Long Island as losers. Smith finished with 19 points on 6 of 13 shooting and doing most of his damage in the first half while his teammates struggled to get going. Smith’s scoring punch helped prevent the Pride from blowing the doors open in the first 10 minutes of the game. Lee, meanwhile, saved his best for last as he poured in 19 of his 21 points in the second half to finish as the game’s leading scorer. Lee shot 9 of 13 from the floor and only turned the ball over once all game. When Husky fans envisioned success this season they drew it up this way, with Lee and Smith leading the charge. It says a lot about these two – both as players and leaders – that they individually shouldered the load at different points in the game when their team really needed them. Read more…
Huskies head man Bill Coen comments on the contributions of Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith in his team’s 64-62 win at Hofstra.
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A frustrated Mo Cassara, joined by Pride players Dwan McMillan, Nathaniel Lester and Stephen Nwaukoni, talk about the Pride’s narrow defeat.
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What happened?
Looking to bounce back from a loss at home to UNCW on Wednesday, Northeastern traveled to Harrisonburg, Va. to face a depleted JMU squad on Saturday afternoon. The Dukes, who were down to only nine available players due to an illness that sidelined Julius Wells, struggled to keep up with Northeastern’s fast paced attack. The Huskies pushed the ball up the floor after missed shots and turnovers, grabbing an early 18-11 edge at the 12:35 mark of the opening half. JMU responded by pounding the ball inside, resulting in three dunks over the next three minutes to close the gap. Both clubs traded leads over the final eight minutes of the half, with NU taking a 32-31 lead at halftime.
The opening minutes of the second stanza seemed to mirror those of the first, with each team trading points back and forth. Beginning with a jumper from Kashief Edwards at the 13:32 mark of the half, the Huskies went on a 13-3 run to pull ahead by 11 points with 7:06 to go. Quincy Ford played a major role in Northeastern’s success, collecting seven points in a three minute span. The Dukes would not go quietly, however, as a half court trap stifled NU’s attack and allowed JMU to run off eight straight points to make it a 53-50 game with 4:22 remaining.
With momentum on JMU’s side and the game hanging in the balance, Northeastern ended the contest on a 15-3 run to seal the win. Jonathan Lee drilled a clutch three to halt the hosts’ run, followed soon after by another three from fellow captain Joel Smith. Ford then delivered on back-to-back sequences, hitting a turnaround jump shot with the shot clock near expiration, then using his long arms to force a steal that led to his own breakaway dunk. Lee and Alwayne Bigby added three free throws in the final 34 seconds to send the JMU fans to the exits and give NU a 68-56 victory. Read more…
Huskies head coach Bill Coen, along with Jonathan Lee and Quincy Ford, talk about Northeastern’s impressive 68-56 victory at James Madison on Saturday, which evened the squad’s CAA record at 2-2.
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Meanwhile, a frustrated Matt Brady discusses his Dukes’ recent struggles.
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What happened?
Still stinging from allowing a season-high 88 points against N.C. State a week prior, the Huskies sought a more complete defensive effort against Vermont on Friday. With both teams sporting a slow and methodical pace, points were at a premium. Junior captain Joel Smith got off to a solid start, scoring eight of his team’s first 12 points and converting his first two three-point attempts. Northeastern used the benefit of some shaky officiating to grab a 23-16 lead with just over five minutes remaining in the first half. The Catamounts cut the deficit to two before Quincy Ford grabbed an airball and put in a layup as the buzzer sounded to give the Huskies a 28-24 edge at halftime.
Smith teamed with backcourt mate Jonathan Lee to push the tempo early in the second stanza and run the visitor’s lead to a game-high nine points. But foul trouble, which had not been an issue in the first half, began to plague the Huskies as Lee, Reggie Spencer and Kauri Black all played the final 10 minutes with at least three fouls each. The Huskies went cold at a most inopportune time, making only one of six field goals and turning the ball over four times between the second and fourth media timeouts of the second half. The Catamounts took advantage of Northeastern’s sloppy play, grabbing it’s first second half lead with 4:09 to play.
Matters went from bad to worse for the visitors as junior captain Lee, the team’s leading scorer, fouled out with 2:06 to play. Fortunately, the Huskies’ big men stepped up in a big way down the stretch, as Quincy Ford blocked a jump shot that led to a fast break layup for Smith and Kashief Edwards converted on a layup in traffic to push NU ahead with 51 seconds to go. After Vermont tied the score 49-49 with under 30 seconds to go, head coach Bill Coen used a timeout to diagram a play. Smith curled around a pick and roll with Edwards, then dished the ball off to the senior transfer, who absorbed contact to put the ball in with nine seconds to go.
Smith nearly went from hero to goat on the next sequence, however. Edwards missed the ensuing free throw, keeping the score at 51-49 Huskies. Smith was too aggressive in the final seconds, fouling Vermont’s best free throw shooter Four McGlynn with 3.9 seconds remaining and sending him to the line for two shots. McGlynn drained both tries, knotting the score at 51-51. Coen used his final timeout to set up a last second play for his team. Black took the inbound pass and threw it to Smith at half court. Smith spun away from traffic, dribbled to the right wing of the three-point line, and launched an off-balance shot with two seconds remaining. The ball rattled in and out of the cylinder and hung on the back rim before finally falling through as the buzzer sounded, giving Northeastern a dramatic 53-51 victory.
Player of the Game:
Hitting a game-winning buzzer beater to snap a six-game losing streak merits automatic player of the game recognition, but Smith did more than just score the game’s final two points. The sharpshooter was aggressive from the start, taking open shots when available and looking to create offense for others, yet not forcing the issue and falling into turnovers. Smith’s overall stat line was just what the doctor ordered: 32 minutes played, a game-high 19 points, 7 of 14 from the floor, 3 of 7 from downtown, 2 for 2 from the line, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 0 turnovers. While Smith had a career-high 29 points in the win at St. John’s. it was his effort against Vermont that the Huskies need more of. The junior captain was in control the entire game, rarely made a bad decision with the ball, was reliable defensively, and stepped up in crunch time when his team needed him. Many will remember his three-point barrage against the Red Storm, but don’t overlook what he did against the Catamounts.
The Takeaway:
First and foremost, the Huskies finally ended their losing streak, which extended back to Nov. 30 at La Salle. It was important for Northeastern to pick up a non-conference win before beginning conference play in January. Though the BracketBuster game in February still remains, this marks the scheduled end of non-conference play. All things considered, NU’s 4-6 mark is nothing to write home about, but is a decent beginning to the season.
Second, Joel Smith. At times he can be lights out shooting, other times he struggles to make an impact. Friday he was the perfect mix for the Huskies, doing exactly what his abilities allowed him to do while not trying to do too much or failing but not doing enough. It has been an up and down two month stretch for Smith, but if he plays as he did against Vermont, Coen and company have to be ecstatic.
Third, the defensive improvement. Granted, Vermont does not have the offensive firepower that N.C. State does, but 88 points is too much for the Huskies to be allowing. Northeastern did a much better job on the defensive end, hurrying back in transition and not yielding easy shots. The communication between teammates was solid, as players rotated to compensate for any players who were caught out of position. The team gets an A for solid D.
Fourth, Jonathan Lee. It’s too early to panic, but this does mark the second time in three games he has failed to reach double-digits in scoring. Lee did not play poorly, but as a junior captain and the only experienced point guard on the team, it’s important for him to produce and stay on the court. Some of his fouls in the second half were ill-advised and resulted in disqualification late in a tight game. I have little doubt Lee will bounce back, but it was somewhat disappointing to see the team’s leader foul out in a close game.
Finally, turnovers, or lack there of. Turnovers plagued the Huskies throughout their losing streak, but recently NU has done a much better job of taking care of the basketball. Northeastern turned the ball over 14 times but dished out 11 assists as a team. The closer the assist to turnover ratio is, the better chance this team has to win, and the Huskies look to be headed in the right direction.
Quote of Note:
Bill Coen, on his team ending a six-game losing streak: “I thought we had three of our best practices leading up to this game. Everyone went home and no one was feeling good about how we finished December, but we have the type of character in that locker room where they recommitted themselves, came back with an even stronger resolve, and we said to them in the locker room that that game was won on the practice floor in the days leading up to this game, not particularly in the game. We just got credit for it today.”
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Bill Coen talks about a thrilling win that saw the Huskies snap a 6-game losing streak just three days before returning to conference action.
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