Javorie Wilson was fouled with 0.7 seconds on the clock and made the first of two free throws to lift Northeastern to a 51-50 win over visiting Hartford in an America East game at Solomon Court on Friday.
Hartford (10-9, 5-3 America East) rallied all the way back from a 12-point second-half deficit to tie the game twice in the final minutes, the last time at 50 all when Ryan Stys (15 points) sank a three-pointer with 13 seconds to go. After a timeout, the Huskies inbounded the ball to Jamaar Walker who went the length of the court before dishing the ball to Wilson in the lane. He drove and went up for a shot when he was hit by Wayne McClinton.
NU won for the fourth time in its last five games to improve to 11-10 overall and 4-4 in the conference. The victory came with a price, however, as NU's standout forward Sylbrin Robinson left the game with 26 seconds left after suffering a severe left elbow injury. Robinson, who had his eighth double-double of the season with 16 points and 12 rebounds, was going after a loose ball near midcourt when the injury occurred.
The winning free throw was the only point of the game for Wilson, who came in averaging 14.9 (fifth in America East), but misfired on all five of his field goal tries before sinking the game-winner . Wilson intentionally missed the second foul shot and Stys rebounded it, but his full-court heave wasn't close.
The teams played a very ugly first half in which Hartford shot 6-27 (22.2 percent) and NU 33.3 (10-30). After Cornellius Wright gave the Huskies a 17-13 edge with 10:44 to play, only nine more total points were scored in the half. NU missed 11 straight shots and finished the half making just two of its final 14 shots. Hartford was worse, hitting only one its last 14 shots before intermission, including 10 in a row heading into the locker room. The free throw shooting was just as dismal with NU making 3-8 and Hartford 1-6. Add in 11 turnovers by the Hawks and 10 by the Huskies, and it made for one sloppy stretch of 20 minutes.
NU took a 22-17 lead into the break and Robinson came out and scored seven straight points as the Huskies built a 29-17 edge (their largest of the night) with 17:22 to go. NU maintained the double-figure cushion and led 39-29 after a layup by Derrell Keys with 8:53 showing. The Hawks grabbed the momentum as McClinton started an 8-0 surge with a three-pointer. Stys ended the spurt with a three-pointer that cut the deficit to two, 39-37, with 6:11 to go.
The Huskies answered as Keys found Robinson for a thunderous dunk and then Aaron Davis scored consecutive baskets, the second on a great backdoor feed from Wilson, to put the Huskies up 45-40 with 3:53 left. The Hawks tied the game at 47 with a 7-2 run, capped by a Stys three-pointer with 2:07 to go. NU then ran the shot clock down and Jose Juan Barea (nine points) hit an improbable, leaning, 12-foot jumper with his left hand as time expired for a 49-47 lead.
Pierre Johnson continued his woeful night at the line (0-6), missing a pair with 1:11 on the clock. Barea rebounded, but missed at the other end. Jerell Parker (13 points) rebounded it for the Hawks and then Barea knocked the ball from the hands of Stys, starting the scrum that would lead to Robinson's injury. Parker was whistled for a foul and Walker made one of two free throws to make it 50-47 with 26 seconds left, setting the stage for Stys' tying three and Wilson's heroics. Hartford finished the game 9-20 at the line, while NU was 5-14.
NU has now defeated Hartford four straight times in Boston and is 17-5 against the Hawks at home in the series history.
VISITORS: Hartford 10-9, 5-3 AE
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
No. N A M E FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
02 Parker, Jerell * 3-11 0-3 7-10 7 9 16 4 13 2 2 0 3 38
13 McClinton, Wayne * 3-5 2-4 0-0 0 2 2 2 8 3 3 1 2 32
20 Stys, Ryan * 5-11 3-5 2-2 0 1 1 3 15 2 2 0 0 26
34 Odugbela, Josh * 1-5 0-0 0-2 3 1 4 4 2 0 3 1 1 23
44 Johnson, Pierre * 3-8 0-0 0-6 2 5 7 3 6 1 2 0 1 37
04 Cook, Aaron 1-6 1-4 0-0 0 1 1 1 3 1 1 0 0 19
31 Swan, Shaun 0-3 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 7
33 Regan, Sean 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 1 1 0 3 0 1 0 0 18
TEAM ........................................ 1 3 4
TOTALS 17-50 7-17 9-20 13 23 36 17 50 9 15 2 7 200
TOT-FG 1stH: 6-27 22.2% 2ndH: 11-23 47.8% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 34.0% Deadbl
3pt-FG 1stH: 2-6 33.3% 2ndH: 5-11 45.5% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 41.2% Rebs
FThrow 1stH: 3-8 37.5% 2ndH: 6-12 50.0% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 45.0% 6
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HOME TEAM: Northeastern 11-10, 4-4 AE
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
No. N A M E FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
04 Wilson, Javorie * 0-5 0-3 1-2 0 5 5 3 1 2 0 0 0 26
05 Barea, Jose Juan * 4-11 1-4 0-0 0 4 4 3 9 4 7 0 3 35
20 Walker, Jamaar * 2-5 0-1 1-2 0 1 1 1 5 1 2 0 0 31
30 Wright, Cornellius * 3-7 0-0 1-3 5 1 6 5 7 0 1 1 1 24
33 Robinson, Sylbrin * 7-11 0-1 2-4 5 7 12 2 16 0 1 2 2 34
11 Martinez, Adrian 0-2 0-2 0-1 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 6
12 Davis, Aaron 3-6 0-2 0-2 2 1 3 3 6 0 1 0 1 24
15 Keys, Derrell 2-3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 1 4 3 0 0 1 10
41 Drain, Adam 1-3 1-1 0-0 1 2 3 0 3 0 0 0 0 4
52 Oliynyk, Gene 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 5 0 0 4 0 0 6
TEAM ........................................ 2 1 3
TOTALS 22-53 2-15 5-14 15 25 40 23 51 10 16 3 8 200
TOT-FG 1stH: 10-30 33.3% 2ndH: 12-23 52.2% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 41.5% Deadbl
3pt-FG 1stH: 1-12 08.3% 2ndH: 1-3 33.3% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 13.3% Rebs
FThrow 1stH: 1-6 16.7% 2ndH: 4-8 50.0% OT: 0-0 00.0% Game: 35.7% 2
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OFFICIALS: Brian Dorsey, Jack Sweeney and Ray Perone
TECHNICAL FOULS:
Hartford - none
Northeastern - none
ATTENDANCE: 755
SCORE BY PERIODS: 1st 2nd OT1 OT2 OT3 OT4 TOTAL
Hartford 17 33 50
Northeastern 22 29 51
PTS IN THE PAINT: Hartford - 14 Northeastern - 34
PTS OFF TURNOVERS: Hartford - 14 Northeastern - 14
2ND CHANCE POINTS: Hartford - 09 Northeastern - 13
FAST BREAK POINTS: Hartford - 00 Northeastern - 08
