Box Score | Press Conference Video | Video Highlights
Chaisson Allen scored 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead four Huskies in double figures as Northeastern captured its third straight win with a 70-65 victory over Georgia State in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.
The Huskies (7-15, 3-8 CAA) never trailed in the game, leading by as many as 19 early in the second half before the Panthers (8-13, 3-8 CAA) came back within five late in the game. An 86.4 percent (19-of-22) free-throw shooting performance helped Northeastern hold off the late Georgia State charge.
Joel Smith scored 15 points for the Huskies on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor.
Jonathan Lee contributed 14 points and five assists and rookie
Ryan Pierson tallied 10 points and a career-high eight rebounds.
Eric Buckner led the Panthers with 13 points and was joined in double figures by Javonte Maynor (12 points), Jihad Ali (11 points) and James Fields (10 points). Buckner and Josh Micheaux each had seven rebounds.
The Huskies were raining threes in the early going, with Lee, Allen and Smith all hitting shots from long range to stake the Huskies to a 9-5 lead.
The Panthers came back within one when Maynor hit a three, but Smith followed with a short jumper that kicked off an 11-0 run for the Huskies, putting Northeastern up, 24-12, with 8:29 left in the first half after Allen grabbed a defensive rebound and completed a fast break layup.
Georgia State got back within seven late in the first half, but an Allen layup sent the Huskies to the locker room with a 33-23 halftime lead.
The Panthers once again cut the lead to seven early in the second half, but Northeastern responded with 12 unanswered points to build a 49-30 lead when Lee sank a layup on the fast break with 12:33 to go.
The lead was again 19 after a Smith layup with 6:56 to go, but that was the last Northeastern field goal of the game as the Panthers fought back down the stretch.
Georgia State slowly chipped away, getting back within five points, but the Huskies shot 13-of-15 from the free throw line over the final seven minutes to seal the win.
Northeastern shot 48.9 percent (23-of-47) from the floor and was 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, while the Panthers were held to 37.1 percent (23-of-62) field-goal shooting. Northeastern held a 36-32 advantage in rebounding.
The Huskies will be after their fourth straight win on Wednesday when they host VCU for a CAA matchup at 7 p.m. at Matthews Arena. The game will air live on GoNU.tv and HuskyCable Channel 81.
