Box Score
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Postgame press conference
NEWARK, Del. — The Northeastern men's basketball team continued its impressive play on Saturday, defeating Delaware, 74-70, at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. The Huskies shot a blistering 67 percent from 3-point range to improve to 6-0 in Colonial Athletic Association play, equaling the best CAA start in program history.
NU (11-7, 6-0 CAA) played a near-perfect first half, shooting 61 percent from the floor and 78 percent from long range while committing just three turnovers, to take a 45-33 lead at the break. The Huskies, who never trailed in the contest, pushed the advantage to a game-high 17 points just minutes into the second half. Delaware, though, stormed back to within four with just over eight minutes to play. The battle-tested Huskies, who now are 6-1 in true road games, regained their composure and twice pushed the margin back to nine to keep the Blue Hens out of fighting distance.
Joel Smith (Leander Texas) scored 18 points to lead four NU players in double figures. The senior co-captain shot 50 percent (5-10) from the field and 75 percent (3-4) from beyond the arc.
Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.) tallied 17 points for his fourth straight double-figure scoring effort.
Jonathan Lee (Flint, Mich.) scored 14 points -- none more important than a 3-pointer from the left wing with just over two minutes remaining to deflate the Hens and the Carpenter Center crowd. He added seven assists to just one turnover and five rebounds in a solid all-around performance.
Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) registered 10 points and a team-best eight boards in the winning effort.
Jarvis Threatt scored a game-high 21 points to lead Delaware (8-10, 3-2 CAA). Kyle Anderson added 19 and Jamelle Hagins collected a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. NU limited Devon Saddler — the CAA's leading scorer — to half his average with just 10 points.
Northeastern, which never trailed in Wednesday's win against Hofstra, equalled the feat Saturday against the Hens. The Huskies raced to an 8-0 lead just over three minutes into the game. Spencer hit a jumper and a layup to open the scoring for NU, and Smith and Ford followed with layups. NU forced turnovers on three of UD's first four possessions.
Following a 30-second timeout, the Hens slowly chipped away at the lead, outscoring NU 11-3 over the next four minutes of play to draw even at 11-11. The tie — the only one of the game — lasted just 22 seconds, before
David Walker (Stow, Ohio) connected on a three.
Walker shot 50 percent (3-6) on the day for eight points and continued his impressive assists-to-turnover run, registering four helpers to just one miscue.
The teams traded baskets before
Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) and Ford sandwiched 3-pointers around a Hagins jumper to push the NU lead to five, 22-17, at the midway point of the first half.
The offensive back-and-forth continued until, with the margin at five, NU ripped off a 7-0 run to take a 41-29 lead with 2:18 remaining before the break. Walker started the run with his second 3-pointer of the game. Lee followed with a layup and Marshavelski capped the run with a jumper.
Saddler ended the run with a layup, but free throws from Ford and Smith — the latter on a technical foul against UD's coach Monte Ross — around a Threatt basket, sent the Huskies to the locker room with a 45-33 lead.
NU's remarkable shooting performance continued in the early moments of the second half. The Red and Black scored 10 of the first 15 points of the half to take a game-high 17-point lead. Ford scored the half's first points on a layup. Smith hit a three, Walker a layup and Lee a long-distance bomb to make it 55-38 at the 17:26 mark.
But the Huskies fluid offense suddenly slowed, scoring just one point over the next 7:46. The defense, though, surrendered just 10 points during that same stretch to keep the visitors in command. Ford, whose free throw accounted for the lone point, hit a jumper at 9:40 to push the lead back to 10, 58-48.
Delaware, though, continued to climb back into the contest. The Hens rattled off six unanswered points to close to within four, 58-54, with just over eight minutes to play. It was the smallest margin in nearly 18 minutes.
Smith then hit a jumper to steady the visitors. After a Hagins layup for UD, Lee connected on two free throws and Smith hit one of two from the line to give NU some breathing room, up seven with just over five minutes remaining. Hagins again scored, but Lee hit a jumper and Spencer converted a layup to make it a nine-point advantage, 67-58, at 3:48.
Anderson responded with a triple to energize the Hens and the partisan crowd. With the lead a tenuous six points and UD applying pressure, the Huskies' senior co-captains teamed up, with Smith assisting on a Lee 3-pointer from the left wing that took the fight out of the Blue Hens.
The Huskies made four of five free throws in the final two minutes and played stout defense to secure the 74-70 win.
For the game, Northeastern shot 49 percent (26-53) from the floor, including 67 percent (10-15) from beyond the arc. NU was 71 percent (12-17) from the free throw line. Delaware shot 53 percent (26-49) on the day, was 40 percent (6-15) from long range, and hit 80 percent (12-15) of its free throw attempts. NU won the rebounding battle, 31-23.
Northeastern, which has played four of its six conference games on the road, will return home to historic Matthews Arena on Wednesday to host William & Mary at 7 p.m. The game opens a four-game home stand for the Huskies. Tickets are available online at GoNU.com/tickets.
Game notes
> Northeastern is 6-0 in CAA play for just the second time, equaling the program's best-ever CAA start (6-0 in 2008-09)
> The Huskies have won seven of their last eight games
> Northeastern turned in its second-best performance from beyond the arc, shooting 67 percent (10-15); NU hit 73 percent (8-11) in a win at Princeton on Nov. 13
> NU's 10 made 3-point shots ties a season high
> NU's 17 assists ties for second-most this season
> NU has tallied at least 15 assists in five of six conference games this season
> Smith scored in double figures for the third straight game and the 14th time this season
> Ford scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and the 14th time this season
> Lee scored in double figures for the seventh time in nine games played this season
> Spencer scored in double figures for the 11th time this season
> Lee tied a season high with seven assists
> Walker now boasts an assist-to-turnover ratio of 22-to-3 in CAA games
> After collecting at least nine steals in four straight games, NU totaled a season-low three
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