Box Score

RUSTON, La., Dec. 20, 2011 -- The Northeastern men's basketball team led for 19 minutes of the second half on Tuesday night, but a late surge by the home-standing Louisiana Tech Bulldogs proved too much for the Huskies in a 56-53 loss in Ruston, La.

Northeastern, which led by as many as nine points in the second half, appeared on the verge of ending Tech's 22-game non-conference home winning streak. But the Bulldogs, who had been held in check all evening, scored 17 points over the final five minutes to steal the victory.

The Huskies (3-6) were led by freshmen Quincy Ford and Reggie Spencer with 10 points each. Spencer grabbed 11 rebounds for his second-career double-double. Ford was one rebound shy of a double-double, pulling down nine boards. Jonathan Lee also just missed a double-double, collecting nine points and 10 rebounds. It was the first time in 13 games that Lee has been held to single-figures.

Raheem Appleby scored a game-high 22 points off the bench for Tech. Brandon Gibson added 14 points and a team-best five rebounds.

Northeastern, which claimed a four-point lead after a defensive first half, scored the first two baskets of the second half to build an eight-point advantage. The lead eventually grew to nine, 30-21, on a layup by Kashief Edwards with 15:46 remaining in the game. It was the largest lead of the game for either team.

Tech strung together seven-straight points to cut the lead to two before the Huskies methodically rebuilt an eight-point advantage with 7:12 showing on the clock. The Bulldogs again sliced the margin to two before a 3-pointer by Ford gave the visitors a 44-39 edge with five minutes remaining. That's when the Tech offense came to life. The Bulldogs, who had been limited to just 17 points over the game's opening 22:35, collected that same total over the game's final five minutes, outscoring the Huskies 17-9 to close the game.

Northeastern's defense gave the home team problems for much of the night. The Huskies limited Tech to just 17 first half points. It was the fewest points allowed in a first half by Northeastern since holding George Mason to 17 points on Feb. 14, 2009. Appleby was the only Tech player who found his range. He scored 11 points for the Bulldogs, who shot just 23 percent for the half. Five Huskies found the scoring column in the first half, led by Spencer's six.

For the game, Northeastern out-rebounded Tech, 50-32. It was the fifth time this season that the Huskies won the battle of the boards, and the second time they reached the 50-rebound plateau. For the game, Northeastern shot 33.3 percent (20-60) and 17.6 percent from 3-point range, to Tech's 37.3 percent (19-51) and 23.5 percent (4-17). The Huskies, who entered the game as the CAA's second-best free-throw shooting team, struggled at the line, connecting on just 43.5 percent (10-23). The Bulldogs shot 56.0 percent (14-25) from the charity stripe.

Northeastern will play its third game in five days when it battles the North Carolina State Wolfpack on Thursday at the RBC Center in Raleigh, N.C. The game, which tips off at 7 p.m., will be carried live on ESPN3.

GAME NOTES
> Freshman Reggie Spencer, with 10 points and 11 rebounds, collected the second double-double of his young career
> Freshman Quincy Ford, who missed a double-double by one rebound, scored 10 points for his fourth-consecutive double-figure scoring game
> Jonathan Lee was just one point shy of a double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds); it was the first time in 13 games that Lee was held under double-figures, and just the second time in 21 contests
> Northeastern limited Tech to 17 first half points, the fewest by an opponent in a half since William & Mary scored just 16 in the second half on March 7, 2010, in the CAA Tournament; and the fewest by an opponent in the first half since limiting George Mason to 17 on Feb. 14, 2009
> Northeastern limited Tech's five starters to just 10 points; the Bulldog bench scored 46 of the team's 56 points
> Tech converted 21 Northeastern turnovers into 19 points, while the Huskies scored six points off of 16 Tech turnovers