PHILADELPHIA — The Northeastern men's basketball team will look to run its CAA record to 3-0 on Tuesday night when it faces Drexel in Philadelphia. Game time is set for 7 p.m., and fans can catch the action live on Comcast stations across the East Coast.
NU (7-7, 2-0 CAA) has won three of its last four games and can move to 3-0 in CAA play for just the second time since joining the conference in 2005. Last week, the Huskies posted wins over George Mason (84-74) and UNCW (68-64). Drexel (5-9, 1-1 CAA) had its 17-game regular season conference winning streak snapped on Saturday in a home loss to Towson.
Comcast will televise the game live throughout the East on Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Comcast SportsNet New England, Charter Sports Southeast and the Comcast Network (Philadelphia), with Al Koken and John Feinstein on the call. WRBB radio also will carry the game live on 104.9 FM and WRBBsports.com with Brandon Challener and Coray Runge calling the action.
Storylines
> Northeastern is 2-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for the third time since joining the conference in 2005 (2005-06, 2008-09, 2012-13)
> A win would push NU to 3-0 in CAA play for only the second time; in 2008-09, the Huskies raced out to a 6-0 mark to open league play
> Longtime rivals Northeastern and Drexel will meet for the 51st time in series history; the Dragons lead the all-time series, 36-14
>
Jonathan Lee scored 10 points against UNCW and notched his ninth career 20-point game on Thursday at Mason; he has scored in double figures in every game this season since returning from a preseason injury
> NU's
Reggie Spencer ranks third in the CAA in field goal percentage (.570), while
Joel Smith ranks first in the league in free throw percentage (.837) and 3-point field goals made (2.5/game)
Scouting the teams
NORTHEASTERN
The Northeastern Huskies enters Tuesday's game on a two-game winning streak, and winners of three of their last four games. NU is 2-0 to open CAA play for the third time since joining the conference in 2005. Senior
Joel Smith (16.5 ppg) leads four Huskies who average in double figures, followed by senior
Jonathan Lee (15.0) and sophomores
Quincy Ford (12.6) and
Reggie Spencer (11.4). Ford averages a team-best 6.9 rpg, followed closely by classmate Spencer with 6.5 rpg. Lee leads NU with 4.9 apg, while freshman
David Walker owns a team-leading 1.4 spg average. Notably, Smith leads the CAA in 3FG made per game (2.5) and FT percentage (.863).
DREXEL
Drexel enters Tuesday night's game at 5-9 on the season and 1-1 in CAA play. The Dragons, who had won 17 consecutive regular season conference games, lost at home to Towson, 69-66, on Sunday. Sophomore Damion Lee leads Drexel in scoring at 18.1 ppg, while backcourt mate junior Frantz Massenat is second at 13.8 ppg. Senior forward Daryl McCoy is averaging a team-best 8.9 rpg for 12th-year head coach Bruiser Flint. The Dragons average 64.7 ppg, while surrendering 66.4 ppg. Always strong on the glass, though, Drexel is out-rebounding opponents by a 4.6 rpg margin (33.4 to 28.8).
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.
See full story on page 8 of these notes.
NU opens league play 2-0 for third time
Northeastern is 2-0 in CAA play for the first time since 2008-09 and for the third time since joining the conference in 2005 (2005-06, 2008-09, 2012-13). The Huskies posted wins over George Mason (84-74) and UNCW (68-64) to open conference play, and a win at Drexel would move NU to 3-0 in the CAA for just the second time. In 2008-09, NU raced out to a 6-0 league start en route to a 12-6 CAA record. In 2005-06—NU's first year as a member—the Huskies posted a 12-6 mark after a 2-0 start.
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 (73-55) of their regular season games and have suffered only one losing season in conference play. 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 Thursday 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.
Welcome back, Jon
Senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee, who missed the first nine games of the season with a foot injury suffered in preseason practice, has wasted little time reasserting himself as one of the CAA's premier point guards. The Flint, Mich., native has scored in double digits in all five games and is second on the team in scoring at 15.0 ppg since returning to the lineup. He scored 19 points on 58 percent shooting, handed out five assists and logged 31 minutes of playing time in his debut performance against UNC Asheville. Three days later, against Central Connecticut, the 6-2 senior posted his second career double-double, with 15 points and a career-high 12 rebounds, along with seven assists. He followed that up by registering 11 points, five rebounds and three assists against UAB, and a game-high 20 points on 61-percent shooting in a win at George Mason. In his most recent outing, Lee scored 10 points, grabbed three boards, and tied a game high with five assists.
Smith hits 1,000 in 100
Senior sharpshooter
Joel Smith became the 31st player in Northeastern history to reach the 1,000 point mark, accomplishing the feat on Dec. 21 in the Huskies' 82-63 victory at Central Connecticut. The game was his 100th career game at NU. He reached the milestone on a layup at the 17:09 mark of the first half, for two of his game-high 27 points. Smith is the fifth player to reach 1,000 points during head coach
Bill Coen's seven-year tenure, joining Matt Janning, Chaisson Allen, Manny Adako and Bennet Davis.
Double down
Northeastern players have posted five double-doubles this season in four games. Most recently, sophomore standout
Quincy Ford turned the trick, registering 14 points and 10 rebounds at UAB on Dec. 29. It was Ford's second double-double of the season and the fourth of his career. Ford and fellow sophomore
Reggie Spencer lead NU in career double-doubles with four each, followed by senior co-captains
Jonathan Lee and
Joel Smith, who each have two.
NU double-doubles this season
Reggie Spencer (16 pts., 10 rebs.) Nov. 28, Maine
Quincy Ford (14 pts., 10 rebs.) Dec. 4, UMass
Jonathan Lee (15 pts., 12 rebs.) Dec. 21, at CCSU
Reggie Spencer (15 pts., 10 rebs.) Dec. 21, at CCSU
Quincy Ford (14 pts., 10 rebs.) Dec. 29, at UAB
Double is trouble, but twice as nice
Senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee and sophomore standout
Reggie Spencer both notched double-doubles in NU's 82-63 win at Central Connecticut on Dec. 21. Lee scored 15 points and pulled down a career and game-high 12 rebounds, to go along with seven assists. Spencer scored 15 points, grabbed 10 boards, and tied a career high with four assists. It was the first time two NU players recorded double-doubles in a single game since Spencer and
Joel Smith accomplished the feat on Nov. 11, 2011, in a season-opening win over Boston University.
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 79 games 905 points
Limited pine time
NU's Jan. 5 game against UNCW was the 103rd game of
Joel Smith's career. The Leander, Texas, native has appeared in 81 straight games, dating back to Feb. 23, 2010, and has made 60 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's Countdown to 100: 2
Now in his seventh season, head coach
Bill Coen is just two wins shy of becoming just the fourth coach in the program's 93-year history to win 100 games at NU. Coen collected his 98th win in the Huskies' victory over UNCW on Jan. 5.
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
Coen ranks among best in career CAA wins
Bill Coen earned his 65th career CAA win in the Huskies' 68-64 win over UNCW on Jan. 5. 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) 65
10. Brad Brownell (UNCW, 2003-06) 61
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