Box Score
Post-game press conference
Game highlights
Full game broadcast

BOSTON, Mass., Jan. 18, 2012—Jonathan Lee scored 19 points, including two late free throws, as the Northeastern men's basketball team knocked off CAA-leader Georgia State, 60-57, at Matthews Arena on Wednesday night. Behind a season-best 11 3-pointers, the Huskies tallied their fourth straight victory and sixth win in seven games.

With the win, Northeastern moves to 5-2 in conference play—tied for third place—and back above .500 for the season at 9-8. Georgia State falls to 13-5 (5-2 CAA), and lost for just the second time in 15 games.

Leading 35-31 at the half, the Huskies never trailed over the final 20 minutes and engineered a defensive stop as the buzzer sounded to come away with the home win.

Northeastern led by as many as 10 points midway through the second half, but the visitors used a strong defensive effort to cut the deficit to just one possession in the final minute.

With Northeastern leading 58-52 with 3:32 remaining, Georgia State pieced together a 5-0 run to cut the margin to just one with 15 seconds remaining. Lee's two free throws then pushed the lead back to three with 13 seconds left. In search of a game tying 3-pointer, the Panthers' Ali Jihad threw up a heavily contested shot with five seconds to play that never threatened.

Coming off his first career double-double, freshman Quincy Ford posted 14 points and five rebounds. The rookie from Florida hit a career-high four 3-pointers, going 4-of-5 (80 percent) from long range. Junior Joel Smith added 13 points and five rebounds, while Kashief Edwards chipped in six points and five rebounds in the winning effort.

Eric Buckner carried the Panthers with 17 points, while James Fields added 12 and Devonta White 11.

After falling behind to start the game, Northeastern took hold of the contest with its best first-half shooting effort of the season. The home side connected on a season-best eight of its 10 tries from behind the arc and posted a 57.9-percent shooting mark from the field, propelling the Huskies to a 35-31 halftime lead.

Smith was perfect from distance in the opening frame, making all four of his attempts to pace Northeastern with 12 points. Bucker posted 10 first-half points to lead the Panthers.

The Huskies' first-half shooting percentage (57.9), total 3-pointers (11), and overall 3-point percentage (52.4) all were season highs.

Northeastern will look to keep its winning streak alive this Saturday when the team travels to Philadelphia to take on Drexel at 7 p.m. in a game that will be broadcast on Comcast, Comcast SportsNet New England, and Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast. That game will be the second of five games in an 11-day stretch for the Huskies.

GAME NOTES
> Northeastern has won four straight games and six of its last seven
> Northeastern improved to 6-1 all-time at home against Georgia State
> The 35 first-half points were the most by Northeastern in the opening 20 minutes this season
> Wednesday's game produced the Huskies' best first-half shooting percentage (57.9), most 3-pointers (11), and highest 3-point percentage (52.4) on the season
> Joel Smith has now made a 3-pointer in 12 straight games and in 38 of the last 39
> Quincy Ford connected on a season-high four 3-pointers
> Ford has scored in double figures in eight of the last 12 games
> Jonathan Lee scored a game-high 19 points and has tallied double figures in 26 of the last 29 games
> Northeastern is now 6-0 when leading by 10 or more points during the game
> Northeastern improves to 7-2 when leading at the half