Box Score
Post-game press conference

TOWSON, Md., Jan. 2, 2012 -- The Northeastern men's basketball team turned in its best defensive effort of the season on Monday night, defeating Towson, 57-48, at Towson Center Arena. The 48 points scored by Towson were the fewest by a Northeastern opponent on the year, and marked the third time in the last four games that the Huskies have held their opponent to 56 or fewer points. With the win, Northeastern improves to 5-7 (1-1 CAA) on the season.

Jonathan Lee scored a team-high 13 points to lead nine Northeastern scorers. Lee also was the team's leading rebounder with five. Alwayne Bigby, who earned his second-straight start, added a season-high nine points, while Quincy Ford scored eight, Kashief Edwards chipped in seven, and Kauri Black contributed six points. Ryan Pierson grabbed a season-high four boards to go with four points.

Marcus Damas and Erique Gumbs led Towson (0-14, 0-2 CAA) with 14 points each, while Jervon Pressley added 11. Deon Jones collected a game-high seven rebounds for the Tigers, who out-rebounded the Huskies 36-35.

Northeastern, which led 25-23 at halftime, turned up the defensive pressure to open the second half. The Huskies limited Towson to just one field goal over the first 8:25 of the half, en route to a 10-point advantage. Six different Huskies scored during the span in a balanced effort.

Towson, though, rattled off eight-straight points to cut the NU advantage to just two, 41-39, with 8:21 remaining in the game. The Huskies responded by dominating the next seven minutes of the game, limiting Towson to just two points on a Damas layup. For the Huskies during that span, a free throw by Pierson, a layup by Joel Smith, a 3-pointer by Lee, a jumper by Quincy Ford, and a layup and free throw by Lee, gave them their largest lead of the game at 11 points, 52-41, with 1:21 remaining. Northeastern made five-of-eight free throws down the stretch to set the final margin.

In the first half, Northeastern opened the game quickly, scoring the first six points. Towson responded with an eight-point run to take its first lead, 8-6, at the 13:37 mark. Northeastern then responded with a 5-0 run of its own to regain the lead, before a 9-0 Towson run provided the Tigers with their largest lead of the game, 17-13, at the 7:26 mark. The lead changed hands three times in the final five minutes of the first half, with the Huskies taking a slim 25-23 lead to the locker room. Bigby led Northeastern with seven first-half points. Presley tallied 11 in the half, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor.

For the game, Northeastern shot 47.6 percent (20-42) from the floor, to Towson's 42.6 percent (20-47). From 3-point range, the Huskies were 33.3 percent (4-12), while Towson was 16.7 percent (2-12). Northeastern struggled from the free throw line, shooting just 48.1 percent (13-27), while the Tigers also struggled, connecting on just 54.5 percent (6-11).

Towson won the battle of the boards, 36-25. It was the first time this season that Northeastern won after being out-rebounded. The Huskies forced 18 turnovers, while committing just 11. Northeastern turned those turnovers into 28 points, while Towson scored nine points off of NU turnovers.

Northeastern will return to action on Wednesday, when it welcomes UNCW to historic Matthews Arena for a 7 p.m. game. The Huskies are a perfect 4-0 all-time at home against the Seahawks.

GAME NOTES
> Towson's 48 points were the fewest surrendered by a Northeastern team since March 7, 2010, when the Huskies held William & Mary to 47
> Northeastern has limited three of its last four opponents to 56 or fewer points
> Jonathan Lee has scored in double-figures in 10 of 12 games this season, and in 21 of the last 24 games
> Maryland native Alex Bates earned his first career start and played a season-high 12 minutes, scoring one point and grabbing two rebounds
> Alwayne Bigby scored a season-high nine points on 4-of-5 shooting
> Joel Smith has made at least one 3-pointer in seven straight games, 11 of 12 games this season, and 33 of the last 34 games
> Northeastern has turned the ball over 14 or fewer times in three straight games, after a stretch of five games with 20 or more turnovers
> Northeastern won for the first time this season when being out-rebounded (1-5)
> The Huskies are now 5-2 on the year when leading at the half
> Since 2003, Northeastern is 4-0 to open January after closing the month of December with a win