Box Score

RICHMOND, Va., Feb. 4, 2012--The Northeastern men's basketball team lost to league-leading VCU, 59-56, on Saturday night in Richmond, Va. The Huskies scored 10 points in the game's final 70 seconds, but the furious rally fell just short. Northeastern, which led for much of the first half, could not recover from a 21-4 VCU run that spanned halftime.

Jonathan Lee scored a game-high 16 points to lead Northeastern (11-12, 7-6 CAA). The junior co-captain accounted for all 13 of the Huskies' points over the final 3:07 of the game. Freshman Quincy Ford scored 14 and junior Joel Smith added 13 to join Lee in double figures. Ford pulled down a team-best eight rebounds, while Lee grabbed seven and Smith five. Virginia-native Demetrius Pollard played a career-high 14 minutes and responded with career-bests for points (six) and rebounds (three).

Troy Daniels went 5-for-10 from 3-point range to register a team-high 15 points for VCU (20-5, 11-2). Juvonte Reddic added 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Northeastern, undaunted by two quick VCU lay-ups and a sold-out Homecoming crowd at the Siegel Center, scored nine-straight points midway through the first half to build a seven-point lead. Ford started the run with back-to-back baskets near the 14-minute mark. Smith followed with a 3-pointer and Kashief Edwards capped the run with a short hook shot in the paint with 10:16 remaining.

The home team cut the margin to two on three occasions over the next four minutes, but two free throws from Alwayne Bigby and a tip-in by Ford pushed the lead back to six, 23-17, for the Huskies with 5:34 remaining in the half. Ford's basket, however, would be the last points for the visitors until a Smith lay-up at the buzzer, as VCU closed the half on a 14-2 run to claim a 31-25 halftime lead.

The Rams maintained the momentum to open the second half, out-scoring the Huskies 7-2 over the opening two minutes. A Smith jumper from the right wing accounted for the only Northeastern points. In total, VCU outscored Northeastern 21-4 over an 8:30 span to close the first half and open the second half.

A 3-pointer by Smith temporarily slowed the Rams' push, but a triple from Burgess and a traditional three-point play by Reddic, sandwiched around a Lee free throw, gave the home team a game-high 13-point lead with 14:27 showing on the clock.

An 8-0 Northeastern run, though, brought the Huskies to within five, 44-39, with better than 10 minutes remaining in the game. Pollard, in his Virginia homecoming, ignited the run with a lay-up and a dunk in transition. Fellow freshman Ford added a lay-up and a dunk of his own to complete the run.

Again, VCU responded, this time with a 9-3 run to push the lead back to double-figures, 53-42, with 5:36 left to play.

Northeastern cut the margin to seven on a lay-up by Ford and free throws by Lee, but baskets by Rob Brandenberg and Reddic pushed the deficit back to 11 with just 1:29 remaining in the game.

That's when Lee and the Huskies mounted one final, furious rally. Lee connected on a 3-pointer, a lay-up and a jumper--all in 25 seconds--to bring the Huntington Hounds to within four, 57-53, with 45 seconds remaining. Reddic made two free throws to give the Rams some breathing room with just under 30 seconds showing on the clock. Northeastern misfired on three 3-point attempts on its final possession before Lee connected on a long-range jumper in the final seconds. VCU, though, quickly passed the ball ahead to run the final three seconds off the clock and secure the 59-56 win.

For the game, the shooting percentages were nearly identical. Northeastern was 20-of-49 (41 percent) from the floor, while the Rams were 20-of-50 (40 percent). From beyond the arc, the Huskies connected on 6-of-18 attempts (33 percent), compared to VCU's 7-for-21 effort (33 percent). The home team attempted 10 more free throws, but went just 12-of-24 (50 percent), while the visitors were 10-of-14 (71 percent) at the charity stripe. VCU out-rebounded Northeastern, 37-31, and forced 15 Huskies' turnovers while committing just 12 miscues of their own.

Northeastern will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 8, when it travels to Georgia State for the second game of a three-game road swing. Game time in Atlanta is scheduled for 7 p.m. Georgia State leads Northeastern by one game in the CAA standings, but the Huskies defeated the Panthers, 60-57, on Jan. 18 in Boston.

GAME NOTES
> Jonathan Lee scored 13 points in the final 3:07 to push his streak of consecutive double-figure scoring games to 12; he has scored in double digits in 32 of the last 35 games
> Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Quincy Ford has tallied double-figure points in seven of the last eight games, and nine of the last 11
> Joel Smith made three 3-pointers; he now has made at least one 3-pointer in 42 of the last 45 games; it was his 13th game this season with multiple threes
> Demetrius Pollard achieved a number of career highs, including minutes (14), points (six) and rebounds (three)
> The Huskies' 14 free throw attempts were their fewest in a month, since attempting 11 against UNCW on Jan. 4
> VCU won consecutive games at home against Northeastern for the first time in series history (Jan. 15, 2011; Feb. 4, 2012)