Box Score

BOSTON, Mass., Jan. 25, 2012 -- Joel Smith scored 20 points, including the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining, as the Northeastern men's basketball team edged visiting Delaware, 62-61, on Wednesday night. Trailing 61-56 with just 30 seconds to play, the Huskies scored the game's final six points behind a stout defensive effort and clutch shooting performance to pull off a remarkable comeback victory at Matthews Arena. With the conference win, Northeastern improves its record to 10-10 (6-4 CAA) and snaps a two-game losing skid.
 
Jonathan Lee registered 14 points and seven boards for the Huskies, freshman Quincy Ford added nine points, and Reggie Spencer tallied eight points and eight rebounds for the home side. Devon Saddler paced the Blue Hens (9-11, 5-5) with 24 points in the losing effort.
 
With Northeastern down five with just 30 seconds on the clock, Lee hit two free throws to bring his team within three points at 61-58. An errant Blue Hens' inbounds pass five seconds later sailed out of bounds, giving Northeastern the ball with 24.8 seconds to play and a chance to tie.
 
After corralling an unsuccessful 3-point attempt, Kauri Black was fouled trying to convert the put-back, sending the junior to the free-throw line with 13.7 seconds showing. Black was able to convert both attempts, cutting the deficit to just one point at 61-60.
 
The Huskies immediately fouled on the inbounds play, sending Delaware's Saddler to the line with 11 seconds left. The sophomore guard missed the front end of a one-and-one and Spencer's rebound gave possession back to the Huskies, who brought the ball over half court before calling a timeout with 5.7 to play.
 
Out of the timeout, the Huskies executed to perfection. Alwayne Bigby dribbled across the top and passed the ball to a wide-open Smith, who was freed up by a Spencer screen. Smith drained the game-winner on the left wing from just inside the arc to put the Huskies ahead and send the home crowd into a frenzy.
 
Delaware attempted to throw the inbounds pass the length of the court, but the ball sailed high and deflected off the center-hung scoreboard, turning possession over to the Huskies, who made one final inbounds pass as the final buzzer sounded.
 
Delaware opened the second half scoring five unanswered points to break a halftime deadlock and take a 27-22 lead with 18:33 showing. The Blue Hens extended the gap to six at 31-25, but Northeastern fought back quickly. A 3-pointer by Lee gave the home team its first lead of the half and another jumper eventually capped a 15-6 run by the Huskies to put the home side in front, 40-37, with 12:23 left to play.
 
Northeastern held the lead until the 6:42 mark, when a Jamelle Hagins free throw squared the contest at 50-50. A Josh Brinkley bucket on the next possession put the visitors back in front, 52-50.
 
Lee answered for the Huskies with another trey to put Northeastern back ahead momentarily, but the visitors responded with a 6-0 run to lead 56-53 with three minutes remaining.
 
Ford nailed a 3-pointer for Northeastern to knot it up at 56-56, but a Huskies turnover resulted in an easy dunk for the visitors, and Delaware led 58-56 with 1:55 on the clock. A Saddler three then put the Blue Hens up by five, 61-56, with 57 seconds to play.
 
Despite shooting a lower percentage from the field than their opponent, Northeastern capitalized on a solid effort from the free-throw line and behind the arc. The Huskies shot 42 percent (21-49), but went 7-of-14 from 3-point territory and 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the line. Delaware, meanwhile, connected on just two of its 10 3-point attempts and 7-of-14 tries from the charity stripe. The Blue Hens were 26-of-58 (44.8 percent) from the field.
 
Neither team held a strong advantage on the glass, as Northeastern tallied 33 boards to Delaware's 32.
 
Both teams struggled mightily on the offensive end in the first half. With the score tied at 6-6 after the opening 8:52 of play, the two sides had combined to shoot just 4-of-25 (16 percent) overall. The Huskies scored the game's first four points, holding the Blue Hens scoreless over the opening 3:57 until a Saddler bucket put the visitors on the scoreboard.
 
Delaware used a 10-2 run to take a lead at 12-8 with 7:37 left in the half before the home side regained its footing. Sparked by five points and three boards from Smith, Northeastern retook the lead, 22-19, at the 2:05 mark but could not hold on to the advantage and found itself tied with the Blue Hens, 22-22, at halftime. Smith led the way with seven points for Northeastern and Saddler had eight for Delaware in the opening 20 minutes. Each team shot less than 30 percent from the field in the first half, with Delaware's 29.6 percent (8-27) clip slightly exceeding Northeastern's 26.9 percent (7-26) effort overall.
 
The Huskies return to the hardwood this Saturday at noon when they play host to Hofstra at historic Matthews Arena. Northeastern will be looking for its second victory of the season against the Pride, having defeated its CAA counterpart 64-62 on Jan. 11 in Hempstead, N.Y. The game is the Huskies' annual Coaches vs. Cancer contest with coaches and support staff wearing suits and sneakers to support the cause. Northeastern head coach Bill Coen will donate $1 for every student in attendance at Saturday's game. The Comcast Network, Comcast SportsNet-New England, and the Madison Square Garden PLUS Network will televise the game live. For tickets, visit GoNU.com/tickets.
 
A replay of this game is available on GoNUxstream at GoNU.com/xstream. GoNUxstream is free to all viewers and features live and on-demand video and audio broadcasts, as well as live game stats, and is accessible on PC and Mac computers, as well as on iPhones, iPads and Android phones.
 
GAME NOTES
> Joel Smith hit a game-winning shot for the second time this season; his buzzer-beater at Vermont lifted the Huskies to a 53-51 win
> Jonathan Lee scored 14 points and now has scored in double figures in 29 of the last 32 games
> Joel Smith has made at least one 3-pointer in 39 of the last 42 games
> The Huskies 86.7-percent performance at the free throw line was a season high
> Northeastern out-rebounded an opponent for the eighth time this season; the Huskies are 6-2 when doing so