Northeastern head coach Bill Coen was first to the microphone after his team lost to the first-place Drexel Dragons.
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Bruiser Flint and star freshman Damion Lee represented the visitors.
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WRBB Sports Basketball, Press Pass CAA, Drexel
Monday, January 30
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
WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound BC, Beanpot, Drexel, UMass, VCU, women's hockey
What happened?
Northeastern got off to a fast start on Wednesday night against Georgia State, hitting 8 of 10 three pointers in the opening half. Unfortunately for the Huskies, they got a dose of their own medicine Saturday at Drexel. The Dragons began the contest hitting 10 of their first 12 shots, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. At the 10:56 mark of the opening half, the hosts sported a 25-7 advantage.
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. Read more…
Patrick McHugh Audio, Basketball, Press Pass CAA, Drexel
Northeastern head coach Bill Coen dissects his team rough loss to the Drexel Dragons on Saturday.
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Never shy about speaking to the media, Drexel head coach Bruiser Flint talks about his team’s solid effort and expounds on expectations of the Dragons this season.
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Patrick McHugh Audio, Basketball, Press Pass CAA, Drexel
Drexel steps out to an early lead, and despite a comeback effort, the Dragons pulled away late to secure the win, 71-53.
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WRBB Sports Basketball, QuickCast Drexel
Monday, January 16
7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Wednesday, January 18
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Georgia State Panthers
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne, Chris Tramontozzi, and David Kroopnick
Thursday, January 19
8:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Frozen Fenway recap & more
Friday, January 20
3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at #11 UMass-Lowell Riverhawks
from Tsongas Arena in Lowell, Mass.
with Alex Faust and Ben Horner
Saturday, January 21
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Hockey: Huskies vs. UNH Wildcats
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne and Craig White
WRBB Sports Extra
3:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
4:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Drexel Dragons
from the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia, Pa.
with Patrick McHugh and Brandon Challener
6:00 p.m. – TBA
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. #11 UMass-Lowell Riverhawks
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and David Kroopnick
WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound Drexel, Georgia State, UMass-Lowell, UNH, women's hockey
The next in this season’s series of CAA previews is the Drexel Dragons.
2010-11 in Review: Looking at a team that went 16-16 in 2009-10, the 2010-11 season was an improved one for the Drexel Dragons. Bruiser Flint’s team finished 21-10 with an 11-7 record in conference play. The Dragons started the season alternating wins and losses in conference until a few streaks kept the Dragons above .500. That staple of the Dragons season was their dominance at home. The Dragons ended with 12 wins and only 2 losses at the Daskalakis Athletic Center. Their home court advantage was evident during key wins against top CAA teams ODU and VCU. The Dragons entered the CAA tournament as the 4 seed. Their first round opponent, Towson, put up a fight but Drexel came away with a 75-69 victory. The Dragons moved on to the CAA quarterfinals and played a close game to the end with the VCU rams. Chris Fouch hit back-to-back 3’s with 30 seconds left to tie the game at 60 before Jamie Skeen hit a buzzer beating shot to knock the Dragons out of the tournament, 62-60.
Against Northeastern: The Dragons started conference play against Northeastern in an early season game at the TD Garden during the Boston Tip-off Classic. Drexel came into the game with a 5-1 out of conference record before the opener. The Dragons, led by 27 points from Chris Fouch, would win a closely contested game. They led for most of the second half, however the Dragons would only win by 5 points. Drexel would continue their dominance at home during the second meeting with the Huskies. The Dragons, again led by Fouch, would cruise past the Huskies 72-58 in a game where NU only shot 29 percent from the field. Joel Smith hit 6 of his 11 three-point shots to lead Northeastern.
Key Losses:
- Gerald Colds: The senior guard finished his career as one of the top three-point shooters for Drexel. Colds knocked down 123 3-pointers in four years as a Dragon. He averaged 9.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game during his senior campaign, his best in the blue and gold uniform. He finished third on the team in scoring and second in assists with 2.5 per game. Colds finished the season shooting 30% from behind the arc. The Dragons will miss Colds’ ability to spread the floor and keep defenses honest this coming season.
Key Returns:
- Chris Fouch: Fouch led the team in scoring as a sophomore last year. The 6-2 guard has averaged double digits in each of his two seasons. As a freshman, Fouch averaged 11 points per game and earned Drexel’s first CAA Rookie of the Year award. In his second season, Fouch averaged 15 a game and this while coming off the bench in all but two of his 31 games played. Fouch is by far the most skilled shooter on the Dragons hitting an impressive 62 3’s last season. The Dragons leaned on Fouch to carry the team, scoring 30 (career high) and 27 against Binghamton and Northeastern respectively. He ended the year with 20 against VCU in the CAA tournament, including 8 in the final 53 seconds to tie the game. Fouch, through just two seasons of play, already has 800 points in his career with Drexel. Fouch is a dominant scorer who will be counted on this season, once he returns from off-season knee surgery that will likely keep him out until the beginning of CAA play.
- Samme Givens: Givens, the lone senior on the 11-12 Dragon team, was second in scoring and first in rebounds during his junior year. The 6-5 forward was the only player in the CAA to average a double-double, with 12 points and 10 boards per game. He led the conference in rebounding and this earned him second team sll-CAA honors. Despite his size, he has grabbed at least 100 offensive rebounds in each of his three seasons. Givens also led the team in FG% and 52% as well as blocks with 26 in 2010-11. He has gotten better with each passing year and his senior campaign should turn out to be his most productive yet.
- Derrick Thomas: Started all 31 games at guard as a sophomore and was second on the club in minutes. Thomas looks to be the team’s top on-ball defender as he regularly guarded the opponent’s top perimeter threat. Thomas averaged 6.9 points and 2.5 rebounds during his sophomore season.
- Frantz Massenat: Massenat started every game as a freshman at point and was named to the CAA’s All-Rookie team. Massenat led all CAA freshmen in assists with 3.3 per game. He averaged over 5 points per game while shooting over 40% from the floor.
- Daryl McCoy: McCoy Emerged as one of the most improved players in the CAA as a sophomore. At 6-9 270 McCoy became one of the top interior defenders in the league. McCoy more than tripled his scoring output from his freshman year, averaging 5.4 points per game and ended the year shooting an impressive 53% from the floor as a sophomore. McCoy averaged 7.8 rebounds per game, placing him second on the team and tying him for fifth in the CAA.
What to Expect: The players who make up the Dragon’s roster have not changed much. They return 4 starters, only one of whom is a senior, as well as their leading scorer who came off the bench last year. This Drexel team is very young and has a lot of talent and potential. Last year the Dragons finished 5th in the CAA with a freshmen starting at point and a sophomore leading the team off the bench. If the Dragons can continue their dominance at home they should be much improved this year. A team featuring a full starting line-up of return players as well as two of the top CAA players will hope to make an even higher jump in conference play. Drexel had a strong season last year and this year they could easily be better. They need Chris Fouch to recover from his off season knee surgery and continue his great play. The Dragons still have time and room to grow with such a young team, but they will be looking to make an impact in the CAA during the regular season as well as the during the tournament.
-Coray Runge
WRBB Sports Basketball CAA, Drexel, Fall Preview
Monday, February 21
7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
Wednesday, February 23
9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week
Thursday, February 24
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at George Mason Patriots
from the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Andy Towne
Available only on WRBB Sports Extra
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. Drexel Dragons
from Solomon Court
with Brandon Challener and Coray Runge
Friday, February 25
3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UNH Wildcats
from the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, N.H.
with Alex Faust and TBA
Saturday, February 26
12:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
1:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and Kainani Stevens
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. UNH Wildcats
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Jared Shafran, and Ben Horner
WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound Drexel, George Mason, UNC-Wilmington, UNH, Women's Basketball
By the time Husky sophomore Dinko Marshavelski hit the first Northeastern field goal against Drexel Saturday afternoon, 8 minutes and 43 seconds had expired in the first half and the Dragons had already built a 14-point lead. Trailing by double-digits so early in the contest, it is no surprise the Huskies dropped their ninth-consecutive game of the season, this one a 72-58 setback, to fall to 4-15 overall and 0-8 in conference play.
Slow starts are nothing new for this squad. In 12 games this season NU has fallen behind by 10 points or more, several of these large deficits coming in the first half. Constantly playing from behind has forced the offense and defense to change their approaches and makes winning an uphill battle.
Head coach Bill Coen knew falling behind against Drexel would put his team in a difficult position.
“When you’re down 17-3 against a fast-paced team you might be able to get a run and get back into it, but we knew we were in for an uphill battle from that point on,” Coen said after the loss.
So how can the Huskies break this trend? Here are some suggestions:
- Get the big men involved early: Often when trailing NU has been forced to rely on hot outside shooting to get back in the game quickly. Sophomore guard Joel Smith led all scorers with 19 points, and his ability to hit 3-point shots did allow Northeastern to close the gap. But relying on Smith or Chaisson Allen or Jon Lee or Alex Harris to catch fire from beyond is not a winning formula. Instead, I’d rather see the big men get involved in the offense from the opening tip-off, especially freshman Ryan Pierson. When Pierson can establish himself in the paint early on he has shown more confidence and generally plays well throughout the game. Plus, getting the big guys involved forces the defense to collapse inside and opens up outside shots for the guards.
- One and done on defense: This one is applies throughout the game really, but rebounding has not been a strong suit of this team at any point, especially early on. On the first offensive possession for Drexel yesterday the Dragons grabbed two offensive rebounds off of missed shots before Derrick Thomas put home a lay-up to make it 2-0. All told the Huskies were -15 on the glass, getting outrebounded 38-23 over the course of 40 minutes of play. Giving extra shots to the opponent has contributed to early deficits, so rebounding the ball certainly holds significance.
- Draw fouls: While the team’s shooting percentage from the floor leaves a lot to be desired, NU is in the top three in the CAA in free throw shooting. Unfortunately for Coen’s squad, the team hasn’t gotten many opportunitites to convert at the line. If the Huskies can take the ball to the basket and draw fouls, that will force their opponent into the foul bonus earlier in the half and allow for more trips to the free throw line.
These suggestions may seem simple, but if the Huskies can do the basics early on they will give themselves a chance to win late.
Patrick McHugh Basketball Drexel
