After a back and forth first half Jonathan Lee and Quincy Ford deliver in crunch time to lead the Huskies to a 68-56 road win at James Madison.
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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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Monday, January 26:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Towson Tigers
from Towson Center Arena in Towson, Md.
with Patrick McHugh and Andy Towne
Wednesday, January 46:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. UNC-Wilmington Seahawks
from Matthews Arena
with Andy Towne and Alex Faust
Saturday, January 71:45 p.m. – Huskies Basketball Pre-Game
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at James Madison Dukes
from the JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Andy Towne
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Hockey Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey vs. US National Team Development Program
from Matthews Arena
with Ben Horner, Jack Thaler, and TBA
Continuing with our previews of each CAA school in reverse order of finish from 2010-11, here’s what you need to know about the James Madison Dukes.
2010-11 Recap: As has been the case for the Dukes over the past few years, Matt Brady’s team entered the season with high expectations. Many thought that they would be among the CAA’s elite, battling George Mason, Old Dominion and Virginia Commonwealth for time slots on Saturday in Richmond after a Friday off. Instead, the Dukes finished conference play with a 10-8 record, good for 6th place in the league standings. After starting the non-conference schedule with a 14-point loss at Kansas State, James Madison won 6 in a row, dropped 2 (including their December CAA game against Georgia State), then won another 9 straight which led to the team receiving votes in both the AP Top 25 and the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll. In all, the Dukes were one of six Colonial teams to reach the 20-win mark, finishing at 21-12. They took a 4-point loss to William & Mary in the first round of the CAA Tournament, but earned an invitation to the College Basketball Invitational where they fell at Davidson by 20.
Against Northeastern: The Dukes and Huskies met on the court just once last season, a January 3 contest in Harrisonburg, Va. Julius Wells led JMU by tying a school-record with 9 three-pointers made as the Virginians walked away with a 75-69 victory. All 11 of Wells’ field goal attempts came from beyond the arc, and he added a free throw for a total of 28 points. Devon Moore chipped in with 12 assists, 6 of those coming on three-pointers from Wells. Northeastern was playing without senior guard Chaisson Allen, who had stayed in Boston with a hamstring injury, and was instead led by 23 points from sophomore center Dinko Marshavelski. After JMU’s Rayshawn Goins scored the first bucket of the game, Northeastern gained the lead, built it up to 8 later in the first half, and did not surrender the advantage until James Madison took over for good just a few minute into the second half. The two teams combined to shoot 52.5% from the floor (NU 50.9%, 27/53; JMU 54.2%, 26/48).
Key Losses:
Key Returns:
What to Expect: Could this be the year? Again, it seems like we’ve been asking that question for the last couple of seasons. The Dukes only lose one meaningful player and return a handful that could wind up on all-conference squads come March. The loss of Bowles is going to be painful, as they don’t really have any other proven big men. Trevon Flores has been in Bowles’ shadow, but hasn’t had enough opportunities to prove himself. He’ll be helped in the paint by Virginia Tech transfer Gene Swindle and a pair of freshmen. Look for James Madison to shoot – a lot. They’ll earn their wins on offense, not defense, as that’s simply the style of game they play. Though a cursory look at their CAA schedule might make it seem as if it will be difficult year, the traditional powers have all lost significant talent to graduation, transfer, and other miscellaneous reasons. Don’t be surprised if James Madison finishes towards the top of the standings, but don’t be disappointed if they fail to live up to expectations. Either way, Matt Brady’s squad shouldn’t be playing their last game in Richmond – some form of postseason play is likely.
Without Chaisson Allen and Vinny Lima, Bill Coen’s 9-man roster fought hard against a very good James Madison team, but lost. Here’s what the coach and sophomore Dinko Marshavelski (career high 23 points) had to say after the game.
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Huskies and Dukes traded baskets down the stretch, but without Chase Allen, NU came up short on the road, losing 75-69.
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We’re back in action as the conference season kicks into gear, wrapping up our Holiday Road Trip. This week on WRBB, we’ve got 5 games on air, plus women’s basketball on WRBB Sports Extra.
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at James Madison Dukes
from JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Jared Shafran
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at Old Dominion Monarchs
from the Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Va.
with Jared Shafran and Patrick McHugh
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Jared Shafran
11:45 a.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
12:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Hofstra Pride
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. UMass-Lowell Riverhawks
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and TBA
The Holiday Road Trip wraps up with two basketball games in Virginia and the resumption of hockey season in Amherst, Mass.
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies at James Madison Dukes
from JMU Convocation Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
with Patrick McHugh and Jared Shafran
6:45 p.m. – Huskies 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 Jared Shafran
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies at UMass Minutemen
from the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Jared Shafran
11:45 a.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
12:00 p.m. – Northeastern Basketball: Huskies vs. Hofstra Pride
from Matthews Arena
with Patrick McHugh, Andy Towne, and Brandon Challener
6:45 p.m. – Huskies Pre-Game
7:00 p.m. – Northeastern Hockey: Huskies vs. UMass-Lowell Riverhawks
from Matthews Arena
with Alex Faust, Ben Horner, and Mari Waligunda
Available on WRBB Sports Extra
2:00 p.m. – Northeastern Women’s Basketball: Huskies vs. William & Mary Pride
from Solomon Court
with Brandon Challener and TBA
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