Senior Jose Juan Barea led four players in double figures with 21 points, while Bennet Davis scored nine and blocked a crucial 3-point shot late in the game as Northeastern held off a Delaware rally to win 73-71 in a CAA contest played Thursday night at Matthews Arena.
After building a 13-point lead at the half, the Blue Hens (4-10, 0-5 CAA) opened the second period with a 14-5 run to cut the Huskies' (8-6, 4-2 CAA) lead to just four points at 43-39 with 13:50 remaining. But Northeastern extended its lead back into double-digits after a pair of free throws by Davis gave NU a 59-49 lead at 7:25. The Huskies built that lead to as many as 13 points, but the Blue Hens mounted another strong comeback, this a 10-1 run over a span of 3:01 to draw once again to within four with 1:47 showing on the clock.
With a four-point lead and possession of the ball, senior Janon Cole turned the ball over as Delaware drew a charge to regain control with 0:46 on the clock. Chris Protho laid the ball in to draw within two at 0:37, then committed a foul on Barea as he drove to the hoop at the other end. Barea converted one of his two at the stripe to give NU a 72-69 advantage. Harding Nana received the ball at the top of the key for UD to attempt a three and tie the game, but the shot was blocked by Davis. Cole grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and made 1-of-2 to give the Huskies a four-point cushion with 0:10 left and the victory.
Barea finished with 21 on 7-of-16 shooting and seven assists, while Cole netted 12 points and grabbed eight boards. Aaron Davis notched 13 point and Bobby Kelly posted a solid effort, with 10 points and five rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers. Shawn James, who suffered foul trouble for the second consecutive game, scored eight, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked five shots. The Huskies shot 51 percent overall.
For Delaware, Nana led the way with a double-double effort, recording 24 points and 12 rebounds. Andrew Washington sunk 8-of-11 attempts for 21 points, while Rulon Washington and Herb Courtney each chipped in with six points. The Blue Hens shot 44.3 percent on the night overall, after converting just 9-of-29 in the first half (31 percent).
The Huskies return to action Saturday afternoon as they welcome Drexel to Matthews Arena for a CAA matchup beginning at 1 p.m.
Official Basketball Box Score
Delaware vs Northeastern
01/12/06 7 p.m. at Matthews Arena (Boston, Mass.)
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VISITORS: Delaware 4-10,0-5 CAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
01 Nana, Harding....... * 8-17 3-6 5-9 4 8 12 2 24 1 2 1 1 40
04 Cannon, Calvin...... * 0-3 0-2 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 1 13
11 Taylor, Zaire....... * 4-4 0-0 0-1 1 0 1 3 8 2 1 1 0 25
23 Washington, Andrew.. * 8-11 1-1 4-6 2 1 3 2 21 0 2 0 4 33
31 Madera, Raphael..... * 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 6
02 Prothro, Chris...... 2-7 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 4 4 4 0 0 0 19
10 Geli, Pau........... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 3
12 Washington, Rulon... 2-11 1-4 1-2 0 1 1 2 6 0 0 1 0 32
15 Courtney, Herb...... 2-6 0-1 2-2 3 2 5 1 6 0 0 0 2 20
33 Olawoye, Henry...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4
50 Hewson, Matt........ 1-2 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 0 0 5
TEAM................ 1 2 3
Totals.............. 27-61 5-15 12-20 11 15 26 19 71 8 8 3 8 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 9-29 31.0% 2nd Half: 18-32 56.3% Game: 44.3% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 2-7 28.6% 2nd Half: 3-8 37.5% Game: 33.3% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 5-6 83.3% 2nd Half: 7-14 50.0% Game: 60.0% 2,1
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HOME TEAM: Northeastern 8-6, 4-2 CAA
TOT-FG 3-PT REBOUNDS
## Player Name FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA OF DE TOT PF TP A TO BLK S MIN
05 Barea, Jose Juan.... * 7-16 2-6 5-8 2 1 3 3 21 7 9 0 0 36
12 Davis, Aaron........ * 3-4 2-2 5-5 1 4 5 2 13 1 3 0 2 29
14 Davis, Bennet....... * 3-10 0-2 3-4 1 5 6 4 9 0 0 2 1 33
21 James, Shawn........ * 4-7 0-1 0-0 2 6 8 5 8 1 3 5 1 21
22 Kelly, Bobby........ * 4-5 2-2 0-0 1 4 5 0 10 2 0 0 0 36
04 Cyprian, Chris...... 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
11 Martinez, Adrian.... 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 14
15 Farmer, Jeff........ 0-0 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4
33 Cole, Janon......... 4-6 0-0 4-6 2 6 8 1 12 1 3 0 0 26
TEAM................ 1 1 2
Totals.............. 25-49 6-14 17-23 11 29 40 17 73 14 18 7 4 200
TOTAL FG% 1st Half: 14-26 53.8% 2nd Half: 11-23 47.8% Game: 51.0% DEADB
3-Pt. FG% 1st Half: 3-7 42.9% 2nd Half: 3-7 42.9% Game: 42.9% REBS
F Throw % 1st Half: 7-9 77.8% 2nd Half: 10-14 71.4% Game: 73.9% 3
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Officials: Bryan Kersey, Gary Prager, Bill Laubenstein
Technical fouls: Delaware-None. Northeastern-None.
Attendance: 1742
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Delaware...................... 25 46 - 71
Northeastern.................. 38 35 - 73
Points in the paint-DELAWARE 32,NU 32. Points off turnovers-DELAWARE 16,NU 13.
2nd chance points-DELAWARE 17,NU 14. Fast break points-DELAWARE 2,NU 6.
Bench points-DELAWARE 18,NU 12. Score tied-0 times. Lead changed-1 time.
Last FG-DELAWARE 2nd-00:04, NU 2nd-01:18.
