Download audio file (2112-Coen-Drexel-postgame.mp3)

Bruiser Flint and star freshman Damion Lee represented the visitors.

Download audio file (2112-Flint-Lee-Drexel-postgame.mp3)

7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Pre-Bracketbuster Selection

Tuesday, January 31

34th Annual Women’s Beanpot
4:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
5:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Hockey: Huskies vs. Boston College Eagles
from Walter Brown Arena in Boston, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Craig White
Game airing exclusively on WRBB Sports Extra

Wednesday, February 1

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Drexel Dragons
from Matthews Arena
with TBA

Thursday, February 2

8:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Beanpot “Hype Week” Edition

Friday, February 3

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. UMass Minutemen
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Craig White

Saturday, February 4

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at VCU Rams
from the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Brandon Challener

What happened?

Mike Moore found the net from long range to give the Pride a 3-0 advantage just 18 seconds into the game, the fastest any opponent has scored against Northeastern since he did the same in 11 seconds on January 8, 2011 at Matthews Arena, a 76-67 win for Hofstra. Coincidentally, that was the last time Comcast SportsNet broadcasted a game from Matthews Arena before they were in the gym on Saturday. After that game-opening triple, it felt like Mo Cassara’s club was hungry to pick up just its second conference win and avenge its 64-62 loss to the Huskies back on January 11 at home in Hempstead.

The pair of 5-point leads held by the Pride, at 7-2 and 10-5, would be the best they could do all afternoon, however, as freshmen Quincy Ford and Reggie Spencer put the team on their backs and combined to score the first 12 points of the day for NU. Junior co-captain Jon Lee finally got himself on the board with a jumper to give the Huskies their first lead of the game at the 12:37 mark. Following that basket, Northeastern would go on its typical four-plus minute stretch without scoring, but the defense held strong and only allowed four points in that time frame. Joel Smith would eventually break an 18-all tie, at 6:37 left in the half, with back-to-back threes, and the Huskies wouldn’t look back from there.

At the halftime break, Northeastern held a 30-27 advantage and had only turned the ball over four times. On the other side, Hofstra had only coughed it up three times, and was able to convert NU’s four turnovers into seven points. Ford led all scorers with 11 points as the teams headed to the locker rooms, with Reggie Spencer registering the 2nd-highest total to that point in the game at eight points.

Most of the drama in the contest was over by then, as the Huskies extended their lead behind the play of Ford, Spencer and Lee after returning from intermission. They would steadily nudge the advantage higher and higher, reaching 11-point leads on four different occasions. Shemiye McLendon would sink a 3-pointer to make it a two-possession game with 42 seconds on the clock. It was just the third, and final, trey of the afternoon for the visiting team, after Moore’s to open the game and David Imes’ fifth make from beyond the arc on the season at 3:19 into the game.

Joel Smith put the game on ice with his only two free throws of the day, and just his sixth and seventh points, giving his team a 58-50 lead six seconds after McLendon’s shot and a Hofstra timeout. The Pride could only manage two shots from the field in the final seconds, missing both, though Matt Grogan would add the team’s final point at the charity stripe.

Player of the Game:

It’s hard to choose between Jon Lee, Quincy Ford and Reggie Spencer for this one. Without the play of Ford and Spencer early on, Hofstra may have been able to scramble out to a big early lead that could have changed the complexion of the game from the outset. Spencer was able to outwork Hofstra big Stephen Nwaukoni in the paint all day, both getting himself open for looks coming in from the top and showing patience as he fought off defenders when he had the ball underneath the hoop. He tallied 13 points and eight boards, along with a game-high three assists (matched by Lee) and a block. Of the three in the running for the honors, he had the fewest turnovers with only two.

Ford was the one providing some early assists to Spencer down low, then finished with 17 points and seven rebounds. Jon Lee’s 17 points came on a season-best 77.8% shooting (7-for-9) that bested his previous mark of 69.2% (9-for-13) that he set at Hofstra on January 11.

The Takeaway:

After the Huskies allowed the Pride to jump out to a 9-0 lead in their previous matchup this season, they adjusted and kept it close to start then were able to close out the game comfortably after gaining a double-digit lead. Hofstra tried a back-court press on several occasions, but Northeastern didn’t seem to have much trouble with it. They did commit 12 turnovers in the 2nd half, including five from Jon Lee, but those did not result from a failure to break the full-court pressure.

At the end of a stretch that saw every CAA team play 5 games in 11 days since Wednesday, January 18, Bill Coen left all five of his starters on the floor for at least 30 minutes. Kauri Black saw 16 minutes of action (2 points, 5 rebounds), Ryan Pierson played two and picked up a rebound, and Kashief Edwards accumulated no stats in three minutes. It’s surprising to see the starters stay on the court so long in the final game of that grueling stretch, which Coen compared to an NBA schedule with games virtually every other night and travel thrown in. It was the first time all season that any five players were on the floor for at least 30 minutes, as even in the overtime game to start the season only two players (Lee, Smith) played at least that long and each were out there for 40+ minutes.

Leaving everyone in so long could have advantages and disadvantages. On one hand, it could prepare the players to go out and play tough competition on consecutive days in the CAA tournament in March. Normally, the Huskies have a mid-season tournament that gives them experience with that, but did not play in such a tournament this year. On the other hand, it could wear out the athletes and make them gassed by the end of the season. Coen will have to be careful to make sure that doesn’t happen. For Saturday’s game, it was a very positive sign to see those guys play without appearing too tired. They’ll be back at it on Wednesday night as they try to avenge their 18-point loss at Drexel, the CAA’s preseason favorite.

Forty-eight hours after dropping a 71-53 decision at Drexel Saturday afternoon, the Huskies were back in action Monday evening at Old Dominion. The Huskies didn’t seem to show any fatigue from the short rest and long bus ride to Norfolk, Va. Quincy Ford nailed a three and converted a layup down low for the Huskies’ first five points, and both teams traded buckets over the game’s first 10 minutes. An advantage on the glass and added scoring punch off the bench from Chris Cooper and Trian Iliadis allowed the Monarchs to build a lead as large as 11 over the next five minutes. NU big man Kauri Black got going late by scoring six points and adding a block and two assists in the final minutes of the half to help the visitors get back in the game and trail 28-25 at halftime.

More hard work on the backboards allowed ODU to push ahead in the second half, grabbing an eight point lead with 9:55 to play. Northeastern hung around, however, and pressure defense forced turnovers which the Huskies converted into points to trail 49-47 with 6:50 to play.

The turning point of the game came with 4:44 to play. With the Huskies trailing 53-49, a poor inbounds pass was intercepted by Cooper near midcourt. Trying to prevent an easy layup or dunk, Black reached out and grabbed Cooper around the waist. The officials deemed the foul intentional, allowing ODU to get two free throws and the ball while Black’s night was done with five fouls. The momentum swing doomed the Huskies, who went 4:53 without a field goal. A late 11-1 run sealed a 69-57 victory for the hosts.

Player of the Game:

Had foul trouble not limited playing time Black may have been Northeastern’s player of the game. In 18 minutes on the floor the junior was active at both ends, scoring eight points, grabbing four rebounds, and dishing two assists to go along with a block and three steals. Conventional wisdom says Ford (game-high 18 points) or Jonathan Lee (13 points) would earn player of the game honors, but I’m going with Alwayne Bigby. In 33 minutes of action Bigby was an efficient 3 of 6 from the floor for seven points. The redshirt sophomore also snagged seven rebounds and dropped three assists while snatching two steals.

Three ODU players scored 12 points or better, but I’m going with Iliadis as the overall player of the game. In 27 minutes off the bench the guard dropped a game-high 18 points by burying 3 three pointers and converting on 7 of 8 trips to the line. Iliadis also led his team with three helpers and three steals and even contributed a block. Smooth throughout, Iliadis added another dimension to ODU’s attack.

The Takeaway:

Don’t let the final score fool you. This game was much closer than the scoreboard indicates. Northeastern played some of its best ball of the season against one of the better teams in the league. In fact the score sheet dictates that. ODU shot 42.6 percent from the floor, NU shot 41.1. ODU grabbed 40 rebounds, NU had 34. ODU had 13 assists, NU had 11. ODU had 10 steals, NU had 8. ODU had 32 points in the paint, NU had 34. The Huskies matched the Monarchs in nearly every statistical category.

The one category Northeastern clearly fell short in was free throw shooting. Old Dominion made 34 trips to the line and made 25 freebies. The visitors only made 15 visits to the stripe and made only 7. These are strikingly similar to when the teams met at Matthews Arena in December. In that game ODU was 27 of 34 from the line while NU was 13 of 16. Though the percentage was much better in the first matchup, once again the Monarchs found their way to the free throw line more than twice as often as the Huskies. NU needs to find a way to get to the line more often, and then convert when they’re there.

You really have to like what you saw out of Black tonight if you’re a Northeastern fan. His night was dampened when he fouled out with under five to go, but he showed tremendous energy and seemed to find the ball in key moments in the first half. Black scored 12 points or more in three of the team’s first four games, all wins. His playing time began to decline in December, but I still believe his combination of size and ballhandling skill can be an asset to this team, especially when he works off the ball and cuts into the paint.

Conversely, Joel Smith had another tough go of it. He finished with only two points on 1 of 6 shooting and failed to convert on any of his four three pointers. He did lead the team with eight rebounds, but he needs to be a scorer. In his last two games Smith is 3 of 15 from the floor and 0 for 8 from long range with only six points. Even if he’s having a rough shooting night Smith needs to score in double-figures with consistency.

A night like this also reinforces how difficult the CAA can be. I thought Northeastern responded very well to its setback Saturday at Drexel despite a long bus ride on short rest. The team battled hard the entire night and at times seemed to frustrate the Monarchs. The team will have no time to dwell on the loss though: Delaware visits Matthews Arena in less than 48 hours.

Finally, the significance of this win could have an impact in early March. The win not only propels the Monarchs to 7-2 in the league, it also gives them the season series and tiebreaker over the Huskies. There is still a lot of basketball to play, but ODU may have cemented its place atop NU in the conference leaderboard.

Quote of Note

Blaine Taylor, on his team’s resilience after Saturday’s loss at VCU: “We’re like a prizefighter. We got to keep answering the bell for every round. Probably going to take a few wallops like we took our last game, but how are we going to come out and answer the bell the next round?”
Download audio file (Blaine-Taylor-ODU-postgame.mp3)

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Old Dominion Monarchs
from the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Brandon Challener

Wednesday, January 25

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Delaware Blue Hens
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne, Coray Runge, and David Kroopnick

Thursday, January 26

8:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, January 27

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
With live reports from Burlington, Vermont

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Vermont Catamounts
from Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt.
with Alex Faust and Ben Horner

Saturday, January 28

11:45 a.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
12:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Hofstra Pride
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne, Chris Tramontozzi, and TBA

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at Vermont Catamounts
from Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt.
with Alex Faust and Ben Horner

Sunday, January 29

2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. William & Mary Tribe
from Solomon Court
with Brandon Challener and Coray Runge
Live on WRBB Sports Extra

Just when it appeared as though Northeastern was in the midst of a blowout, the visitors sprung off the mat and ran off 15 consecutive points to make it 25-22 with 3:35 remaining in the half. NU did so by establishing itself in the paint, collecting 12 points down low. Meanwhile the Drexel offense struggled to get operate, missing five shots and committing six turnovers. After the seven-and-a-half minute drought DU responded, using an 8-0 run of its own to enter halftime up 33-25.

Aside from the stumble midway through the opening stanza, the Dragons enjoyed control for the remainder of the game. A much tighter reign of foul calls resulted in 21 shots from the charity stripe for the Dragons, of which 15 were made. A patient and methodical Drexel offense bled time off the shot clock and hit 62.5 percent of its field goals, including 3 of 4 shooting from downtown. Meanwhile, the Huskies couldn’t get open for many three pointers and managed only seven made field goals in the final 20 minutes. Drexel ended up cruising to victory, 71-53.

Player of the Game:

Slim pickings for the Huskies in this department. Junior captain Jonathan Lee was the only Husky to make more than two field goals, shooting a respectable 6 of 11 from the floor, including 2 of 3 from deep. Lee led NU with 16 points and had one assist and one steal with only two turnovers. Meanwhile, Drexel had four players score 11 points or more in a balanced effort. The standout was junior guard Derrick Thomas, who set a new season high with 20 points and grabbed six rebounds with four steals. Thomas devastated Northeastern with his three point shooting, going a perfect 5 for 5 from deep.

The Takeaway:

What stood out to me the most was how good Drexel was. Watching this team play it is easy to see why they were predicted to finish first in the CAA in the preseason poll. They have three players who average better than 12 points-per-game, and that’s not even including their most dangerous offensive weapon, Chris Fouch. It didn’t matter whether Northeastern played zone or man, crowded the inside or put pressure on the outside, or even went with a full court press. The Dragons took exactly what was given to them, moved the ball with precision, took good shots when open, and buried most of them. Not to mention they only let up 53 points on the defensive end. Right now you have to consider Drexel as the league favorite this March, and any other team that has aspirations of wearing the league crown will have to go through them.

On Northeastern’s side of things, it was tough going on the outside. Three days after hitting 11 three pointers against Georgia State, the Huskies mustered only two long balls, both by Lee. Drexel entered the game as the best defensive team in the league in terms of three point defense, and they showed why. Northeastern forwards Reggie Spencer, Kashief Edwards, Ryan Pierson and Kauri Black combined to score 15 points on 6 of 14 shooting. It would be nice to see this team establish more of an inside presence on nights when guards have off shooting nights or when defenses have keyed on shooters. We’ll see if more emphasis is put on pounding the paint.

From the not-something-you-see-every-day category: Quincy Ford finished with 10 points, all from the free throw line. The freshman was a perfect 10 of 10 from the stripe.

The assist to turnover ratio was alarming for the Huskies. While 13 giveaways is not terribly high, the team only had four assists. I think more credit has to go to the Drexel defense than blame to the huskies offense, but it didn’t feel like a cohesive five-man unit at times.

Finally, let’s see how the Huskies rebound from this defeat. This was the first true tough CAA game they had to play, aside from the Old Dominion game in December. That was a different squad than we’ve seen recently, and Saturday’s game was a true test to see what they were made of. NU didn’t exactly pass, but they have an opportunity to make amends a little over 48 hours later at ODU. How will this team respond?

Quote of Note

Bill Coen, on his impression of Drexel’s team: “In our preseason poll I picked Drexel as the number one team in this league, and there’s nothing I saw today that would make me think I made that pick in error … When they play like that today and make shots, they’re a very very difficult team to beat.”

Download audio file (Bill-Coen-Drexel-postgame1.mp3)