Box Score
Post-game press conference
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — The Northeastern men's basketball team saw a valiant second-half comeback cut short on Friday in an 86-77 loss to Charlotte in the semifinal round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Huskies, who battled back from a double-digit deficit for the second straight day, shot just 60 percent from the free throw line, missing 12 attempts.
Trailing by eight, 51-43, with 14:20 remaining, Northeastern (2-3) mounted an 8-0 run over less than two minutes to tie the game. Four minutes later, with the game again tied (58-58), Charlotte (4-1) made its move. The 49ers scored 11 of the game's next 13 points to take a 69-60 lead with 4:25 to play. The Huskies went 0-for-5 from the line during the pivotal four-minute stretch and could not recover.
The free-throw line struggles overshadowed an otherwise impressive performance. Two Huskies —
Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa.) and
Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) — registered double-doubles as four NU players scored in double figures.
Bill Coen's squad became the first team to make more trips to the free-throw line than Charlotte and just the second team to out-rebound the 49ers.
Eatherton notched his second straight double-double and fourth in five games with a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Spencer corralled a game-best 12 rebounds to go with 11 points.
Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored 14 and freshman
T.J. Williams (Pflugerville, Texas) added a career-best 12 points in 31 minutes.
David Walker (Stow, Ohio) played all 40 minutes for the second consecutive game, scoring seven, while
Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) and
Derrico Peck (Woodstock, Ga.) added six and five, respectively.
Shawn Lester scored 20 points to lead six 49ers in double figures. Ben Cherry added 18 points on a blistering 6-for-7 effort from beyond the 3-point line.
Trailing by nine at the break, 43-34, the Huskies established an early second-half attack, with Williams and Pollard hitting back-to-back jumpers to open the scoring. Minutes later, NU closed the margin to four on a Williams free throw before Charlotte answered with four straight to take a 51-43 lead with 14:20 to play.
It took less than two minutes for the Huskies to rally back and level the score. Pollard collected five straight on a jumper and a 3-pointer and Walker followed with a three from the left wing in transition to knot the score at 51-51 with 12:31 showing on the clock.
The Huskies tied the score two more times over the next four-minute span — the last at 58-58 with 8:47 to go — but could not get over the hump.
Charlotte rattled off an 11-2 run to take a 69-60 lead with 4:25 remaining in the game. NU made it a seven-point game moments later on a lay-in by Eatherton but could get no closer. The 49ers made 15-of-18 free throws over the game's final two minutes to secure the win.
In the first half, after Eatherton scored the game's first two points on free throws, Charlotte raced to a 10-2 lead just three minutes in. The 49ers twice pushed the margin to 13 — the first at 23-10 with 9:27 remaining, and the second at 34-21 with 4:41 to go.
Eatherton, though, ignited a late first-half rally for the Huntington Hounds with a dunk and free throw for a traditional three-point play. Pollard then scored five straight points on a 3-pointer and two free throws to make it a five-point game, 34-29, and give the Huskies life. Charlotte countered with a 7-1 run to push the lead to 11.
Eatherton again rattled the backboard with a dunk to cut the lead to nine with under a minute to play and, when Peck slammed home a rebound with just 13 seconds left, it looked like NU would carry momentum into the locker room. Terrence Williams, though, hit a buzzer-beating elbow jumper to steal the momentum and give the 49ers a 43-34 halftime advantage.
For the game, Northeastern shot 44 percent (27-61) from the floor, 33 percent (5-15) from beyond the arc, and 60 percent (18-30) from the charity stripe. Charlotte hit 51 percent (27-53) from the field, an impressive 62 percent (10-16) from long range, and 79 percent (22-28) from the line. Northeastern out-rebounded Charlotte, 36-31, and now has won the rebounding battle in all five games this season.
The Huskies will enjoy an off day on Saturday before returning to action on Sunday against Florida State in the final round of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off. The Seminoles defeated VCU in the opening round before losing in overtime to Michigan in the semifinals. Tip-off time at Coliseo Roberto Clemente in San Juan is set for 4:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN2.
GAME NOTES
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Scott Eatherton (22 points, 11 rebounds) recorded his second consecutive double-double and fourth in five games; his 22 points are a high for his Northeastern career
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Reggie Spencer (11 points, 12 rebounds) posted his fifth career double-double and his first of this season; the 12 rebounds are a new career high
> Northeastern has out-rebounded its opponent in all five games this season
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T.J. Williams set a new career high with 12 points
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Demetrius Pollard scored in double figures for the second time in three games
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