TOWSON, Md. — The Northeastern men's basketball team will put its undefeated CAA mark on the line Saturday against Towson in a battle for sole possession of first place in the conference. The Huskies are 3-0 in CAA play and have won four of their last five games. The Tigers enter Saturday's game on a four-game winning streak and sport an identical 3-0 CAA record. Tip-off at Towson Center Arena is slated for 12 p.m.
Fans can listen to the live game broadcast on WRBB (104.9 FM and WRBBsports.com), with Brandon Challener and Coray Runge on the call. Live stats and a live video feed will be available on TowsonTigers.com.
STORYLINES
> Northeastern is 3-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the second time since joining the conference in 2005; in 2008-09, the Huskies raced out to a 6-0 mark to open league play
>
Bill Coen, already one of the winningest coaches in CAA history, is just one win shy of becoming only the fourth coach in the 93-year history of Northeastern basketball to win 100 games at NU
> CAA rivals Northeastern and Towson will meet for the 26th time in series history; the Huskies lead the all-time series, 14-11, and have won the last four head-to-head meetings
> Towson has been one of the surprise stories in all of college basketball; the Tigers, who went 1-31 a season ago, are off to an 8-8 start, including a 3-0 mark in league play
> The winner of Saturday's game at Towson Center Arena will take over sole possession of first place in the CAA; NU and Towson are two of just three teams that have yet to lose in conference play (NU 3-0, Towson 3-0, Delaware 2-0)
SCOUTING THE TEAMS
NORTHEASTERN
Northeastern has won three straight games and four of its last five. The Huskies defeated two of the top three CAA preseason picks on the road in George Mason and Drexel and collected a home win over UNCW to move to 3-0 in conference play for just the second time. Senior guard
Joel Smith leads NU with 15.9 ppg. Joining Smith in double figures are senior
Jonathan Lee (14.0), and sophomores
Quincy Ford (12.7) and
Reggie Spencer (11.7). Ford, whose double-clutch, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to force overtime at Drexel was the top play on ESPN's Top 10, leads the team in rebounds (6.7). Lee is tops in the CAA in steals (2.0) and second in assists (4.3).
TOWSON
Towson enters Saturday's game on a four-game winning streak. The Tigers, who won just one game a season ago (1-31), defeated Oregon State, UNCW, and preseason-favorite Drexel on the road, before edging William & Mary at home in a double-overtime thriller. Junior forward Jerrelle Benimon is averaging a double-double, with 17.1 ppg and 11.7 rpg, to lead Towson. Marcus Damas also averages in double-figures (10.5 ppg) for second-year head coach Pat Skerry, while Mike Burwell contributes 9.4 ppg and Jerome Hairston 9.0 ppg. Towson leads the CAA in field goal percentage defense (.385) and is third in scoring defense (65.6 ppg).
Lee named national finalist for Senior CLASS Award
Northeastern men's basketball senior
Jonathan Lee has been selected as a candidate for the 2012-13 Senior CLASS Award in collegiate basketball. Lee, a graphic design major from Flint, Mich., is one of just 30 candidates nationally. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence—community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Ford's heroic shot earns top play on espn's top 10
Quincy Ford's double-clutch, buzzer-beating 3-point shot to force overtime in NU's win at Drexel earned the number one play on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays earlier this week. The play also won an ESPN SportsNation “Best of the Best” poll, beating out the hit by South Carolina's Jadeveon Clowney on Michigan's Vincent Smith in the Outback Bowl by a whopping 28-percent margin (64-38). To see Ford's heroic shot, view the video “CAA Minute — Jan. 9, 2013” on CAASports.com/Digital.
NU opens CAA play at 3-0 for second time
Northeastern is 3-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the second time since joining the conference in 2005. The Huskies posted wins over George Mason (84-74), UNCW (68-64) and Drexel (63-58 OT) to open conference play. In 2008-09, NU raced out to a 6-0 league start en route to a 12-6 CAA record.
Coen's Countdown to 100: 1
Now in his seventh season, head coach
Bill Coen is just one win shy of becoming just the fourth coach in the program's 93-year history to win 100 games at NU. Coen collected his 99th win in the Huskies' victory at Drexel on Jan. 8.
NU's 100-game winners
Dick Dukeshire - 204-100 (.671) - 1958-71, 13 years
Jim Calhoun - 250-137 (.646) - 1972-86, 14 years
Karl Fogel - 131-103 (.560) - 1986-94, 8 years
Huskies in conference play
Northeastern joined the Colonial Athletic Association before the 2005-06 season. In their eighth season as a CAA member, the Huskies have won 57 percent (74-55) of their regular season games and have finished at or above .500 in conference play in seven of eight seasons. Prior to the CAA, Northeastern was a founding member of the America East Conference and played in the league from 1979 to 2005. (The conference was known as the North Atlantic Conference until 1996.) The Huskies captured the conference championship on seven occasions (1981, '82, '84, '85, '86, '87, '91).
Surging Stahl answers the call
Freshman forward
Zach Stahl poured in 10 of NU's 13 points during a decisive three-minute stretch late in the second half on Jan. 3 to lead the Huskies to a comeback win at George Mason. Stahl, a native of Chanhassen, Minn., registered all of his career-high 15 points in the second half.
High-scoring half
Northeastern poured in 54 second-half points on 64 percent field goal shooting on Thursday at George Mason to secure a come-from-behind victory. The 54-point performance was the third-best ever by NU in a half against a CAA opponent and the fifth 50-plus point half under
Bill Coen.
Happy New Year
Northeastern's 84-74 win at George Mason marked the fourth time in five years that NU has opened the month of January with a CAA win.
1,000-point watch
Senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee is on pace to join fellow senior co-captain
Joel Smith in the 1,000-point club. Smith accomplished the feat on Dec. 21 in NU's 82-63 win at Central Connecticut. Lee would become the 32nd player in program history to record 1,000 points.
Lee point watch
Jonathan Lee 80 games 914 points
Limited pine time
NU's Jan. 8 game at Drexel was the 104th game of
Joel Smith's career. The Leander, Texas, native has appeared in 82 straight games, dating back to Feb. 23, 2010, and has made 61 consecutive starts, dating to Jan. 15, 2011. He has played in all but six games since arriving on Huntington Avenue in 2009, with all six missed games coming in his freshman season. The program record for career games is 128, achieved by Andre LaFleur (1983-87), Wes Fuller (1983-87) and Matt Janning (2006-10).
Coen ranks among best in career CAA wins
Bill Coen earned his 66th career CAA win in the Huskies' 63-58 win at Drexel on Jan. 8. Coen is currently ninth on the CAA's list of all-time winningest coaches. He is one of just three current CAA coaches to have cracked the top 10.
Winningest coaches in CAA play (CAA regular season and tournament games only)
1. Jim Larranaga (George Mason, 1998-2011) 183
2. Blaine Taylor (ODU, 2002-present) 148
3. Bruiser Flint (Drexel, 2002-present) 129
4. Dick Tarrant (Richmond, 1982-93) 106
5. Tom Pecora (Hofstra, 2002-10) 98
5. Charles “Lefty” Driesell (JMU, 1988-97) 98
7. Jerry Wainwright (UNCW, 1995-2002) 97
8. Jeff Capel, Jr. (ODU, 1995-2001) 77
9.
Bill Coen (Northeastern, 2006-present) 66
10. Brad Brownell (UNCW, 2003-06) 61
Shooting star
Sophomore standout
Reggie Spencer currently ranks first in the CAA in field goal percentage, making an impressive 58 percent of his attempts. The forward from Tuscaloosa, Ala., has scored in double figures in 10 of 15 games this season and has posted two double-doubles.
Cardiac Canines
The Huskies have had a flair for the dramatic this season, overcoming double-digit deficits in three victories. NU erased a 10-point deficit against Boston University, winning on a last-second 3-pointer by
Demetrius Pollard. The Huskies stormed back from 18 points down in the second half to shock Princeton.
Reggie Spencer delivered the game-winner at Jadwin Gym—a layup off a perfect feed from
Zach Stahl with just two seconds remaining. In the Great Alaska Shootout semifinal, NU twice overcame double-digit margins—including a 16-point second-half gap—to claim victory over previously-unbeaten Belmont.
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Up next
Northeastern will return home to historic Matthews Arena for just the second time since mid-December to host Hofstra on Wednesday, Jan. 16. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Huskies swept the season series from the Pride last year. .
