Posts Tagged ‘Hofstra’

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.

Andy Towne Basketball CAA, Hofstra

Hofstra head coach Mo Cassara was the first to speak to the media after his team slipped to 1-10 in conference play.

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Northeastern’s Bill Coen spoke on his team’s 8th win in its last 11 games.

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WRBB Sports Press Pass CAA, Hofstra

Monday, January 23

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

WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey, The Dog Pound Delaware, Hofstra, Old Dominion, Vermont, William & Mary, Women's Basketball

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…

Patrick McHugh Audio, Basketball, Press Pass CAA, Hofstra

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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Patrick McHugh Audio, Basketball, Press Pass CAA, Hofstra

Monday, January 9

7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press

Wednesday, January 11

6:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketbll Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball – Huskies at Hofstra Pride
from the Mack Sports Complex in Hempstead, N.Y.
with Patrick McHugh and Chris Tramontozzi

Thursday, January 12

9:00 p.m. – Hockey East This Week

Friday, January 13

3:00 p.m. – Dog Pound Sports Sound
Winter break recap; Rivalry weekend preview

7:15 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:30 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. #6 Boston University Terriers
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Jack Thaler

Saturday, January 14

12:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
1:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. William & Mary Tribe
with Patrick McHugh and Zolan Kanno-Youngs
from Matthews Arena

New start time:
3:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
4:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. #4 Boston College Eagles
from Fenway Park
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Craig White

WRBB Sports Basketball, Hockey BC, BU, Fenway, Hofstra, William & Mary

October has arrived and preseason practices get under way next week. We roll along in our CAA team-by-team previews with the Hofstra Pride.

2010-11 Recap: The Pride surpassed the 20-win mark for the eighth time in the last 13 seasons by turning in a 21-12 mark last season. The team got off to a hot start to the season, going 11-5 and a perfect 5-0 in conference play before losing to Old Dominion in mid January. Aside from a three game losing streak and an embarrassing BracketBusters setback to Wright State, Hofstra entered the CAA Tournament having won six of its final seven and earned a three seed in Richmond. After dispatching William & Mary in the tournament quarterfinals, the club was bounced by No. 2 seed Old Dominion in the CAA semifinals. The Pride were invited to play in the CBI tournament, but were eliminated in the first round by Evansville of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Against Northeastern: The Pride and Huskies met twice last season with Hofstra emerging with both victories. On Jan. 8 inside Matthews Arena, five Hofstra players reached double digits, led by Charles Jenkins‘ 20 points, to push Hofstra past NU in a 76-67 victory. Husky senior captain Chaisson Allen surged a furious rally, scoring 20 of his 22 points in the second half, but Hofstra’s hot three point shooting (57.1 percent) was too much to overcome. In the rematch in Hempstead, N.Y. on Feb. 5, the Huskies squandered a 14-point second half lead and lost 78-75. The visitors held a 75-68 lead with 3:52 remaining but were outscored 10-0 in the final four minutes. Jenkins and Allen each had 21 points, but it was Shemiye McLendon‘s four free throws in the final two minutes that sealed the decision.

Key Losses:

• Charles Jenkins: The greatest player in school history, Jenkins rewrote the record books during his four years on Long island. The 6-foot-3 guard set a new program record by scoring 2,513 points in 128 games, the second-highest total in CAA history behind only David Robinson of Navy. One of seven players to win the CAA Player of the Year award multiple times, Jenkins took home the honor in 2010 and 2011. Also an unselfish player, Jenkins also finished fifth in school history in assists (489), steals (213) and thee pointers (177). He finished his career by reaching double figures in his final 58 games, the second longest such streak in the nation. His No. 22 was retired by the university during Senior Day ceremonies on Feb. 26.
• Greg Washington: Known mostly as a defensive presence in the paint, the 6-10 Washington used his size to his advantage while at Hofstra. In four seasons for the Pride, Washington turned aside a school record 275 shots and brought down 629 rebounds. Though only a modest scorer averaging 7.5 per game, the big man had 11 games last season in which he reached double figures.
• Brad Kelleher: Though he only played one season at Hofstra the 6-foot guard made it count. A three-point specialist, Kelleher buried 33.7 percent of his long balls and averaged 7.5 points-per-game in 25 contests. Originally from Australia, Kelleher spent two seasons of junior college ball at Midland College and sat out a year due to NCAA amateur clearinghouse rules.

Key Returns:

• Mike Moore: The team’s second-leading scorer last season, Moore will be expected to carry the scoring this season without Jenkins. A versatile player quick enough to slash to the basket yet accurate enough to hit shots from the outside, Moore averaged 14.9 per game last season and shot 40.7 percent from the floor. Not just a scorer, the 6-5 guard also corralled 5.4 rebounds-per-game and dished 2.2 assists-per-game. Opponents would be wise not to send Moore to the free throw line with any regularity as he is an 85.2 percent shooter from the stripe. Moore transferred to Hofstra after spending two seasons at Fordham.
• David Imes: After a slow freshman season that saw little production, Imes emerged with a solid sophomore season. The 6-7 forward had 7.6 points-per-game last season and shot 50.5 percent. Though not the club’s tallest player, Imes was ferocious on the glass and led Hofstra in rebounding by pulling down 6.8 boards per game.
• Dwan McMillan: A freaky injury which resulted in a fractured eye socket cost McMillan the final 22 games of the season last year. Had it not been for the setback McMillan appeared poised to put up solid numbers as he averaged 6.8 points-per-game in November and December. The 6-1 senior will run the show as the Pride’s point guard this season and will look to average above the 3.3 assists-per-game he had last season. The Brooklyn native spent two seasons at junior college before transferring to Hofstra.

What to Expect: There is no way around it, the Pride are going to hurt without Jenkins. While head coach Mo Cassara had a strong first season with the club, it is difficult for any school and any coach to replace the production of someone who was twice named the league’s Player of the Year. This year’s key will likely be Moore. Since defenses were so focused on Jenkins last season, Moore had plenty of open shot opportunities and took advantage. He must find a way to create his own offense this season while being the centerpiece of the team. Hofstra has a good mix of experience with three freshmen, three sophomores and three seniors, but the deepest class is the junior class, which has six players. If the juniors mature quickly the Pride could be a force to be reckoned with and finish in the top three. Even if this doesn’t happen, the team should still find itself in the upper half and in contention for a bye come CAA Tournament time.

Patrick McHugh Basketball CAA, Fall Preview, Hofstra

The Huskies get their second win in conference play, beating Hofstra 3-0 with a complete game shutout from Les Williams.

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WRBB Sports Baseball, QuickCast Hofstra

Monday, April 4

7:00 p.m. – CAA Full Court Press
National Championship Edition

Friday, April 8

1:50 p.m. – Baseball Pre-Game
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Baseball: Huskies vs. Hofstra Pride (Game 1)
from Friedman Diamond in Brookline, Mass.
with TBA

WRBB Sports Baseball, The Dog Pound Hofstra