Box Score
NEW ORLEANS—
David Walker (Stow, Ohio) scored 18 points and
Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) added 16, but free throw struggles again plagued Northeastern (3-9) in a 65-62 loss at Tulane (7-6) on Sunday night in men's basketball action.
Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) hauled in a career-high 13 rebounds as the Huskies closed out pre-holiday play in the Westin Holiday Classic in New Orleans.
In a closely-contested game that featured 12 lead changes and seven ties, the free throw line proved the difference maker, as NU made just 15 of 30 attempts. Despite the struggles, the Huskies were within striking distance in the game's final minute. Trailing by one and with possession with 33 seconds to play, NU was whistled for a controversial five-second call on the inbounds pass. A foul on the ensuing possession sent Tulane's Jonathan Stark to the line, where he made both attempts. Following an NU timeout, a contested three from Walker rimmed out and the Green Wave held on for the victory.
Walker's 18 points came courtesy of a career-high-tying four made 3-pointers, while Stahl tied his career mark with 16 points to go with six rebounds.
Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa.), who was the victim of foul trouble, played just 15 minutes before fouling out with 10 points.
Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) scored a season-high nine points in 21 minutes of action.
T.J. Williams (Pflugerville, Texas) added five points, while Spencer and
Derrico Peck (Woodstock, Ga.) each chipped in two.
Louis Dabney scored 20 points for Tulane to lead all scorers. Jonathan Stark added 12 points and Jay Hook tallied 11 for the Green Wave.
The Huskies, who trailed by one at the half, regained the lead (32-31) less than three minutes in when Williams and Walker sandwiched 3-pointers around two Dabney free throws.
If there was a bright spot on the evening, it was that Northeastern appeared to shake its shooting woes from beyond the arc. The Huskies' seven made threes were the second-most on the season. NU connected on 56 percent (5-9) of its 3-point attempts in the second half.
Tulane tried to distance itself from the Huskies with back-to-back threes to take a five-point lead, 43-38, with 13:49 to play. Northeastern, though, had an immediate answer as Walker again dialed in from deep and Stahl hit a layup off a Banegas-Flores steal to tie the game.
Three Green Wave free throws were answered by a Banegas-Flores triple and another layup from Stahl as the visitors regained the lead, 48-46, with just under 10 minutes remaining. Tulane responded with a 7-0 run to build a five-point advantage as the clock ticked under eight minutes.
Northeastern made it a one-possession game on four separate occasions in the final minutes but could never again retake the lead. The Huskies twice closed to within one point—the final time coming on a driving layup by Banegas-Flores that set up the game's final sequence.
In a back-and-forth first half, Northeastern led by as many as three points while Tulane held a game-high eight-point advantage as the score changed hands or was tied seven times in the half.
For the game, Northeastern shot 43 percent (20-47), including 37 percent (7-19) from beyond the arc. The Huskies were 15-of-30 (50 percent) from the line. Tulane shot 45 percent (22-49) from the floor, 29 percent (5-17) from 3-point range, and 80 percent (16-20) from the charity stripe. The battle of the boards was even, 31-31.
Northeastern will return from the holiday break to host Richmond on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m., at historic Matthews Arena. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the Huskies and Spiders. For ticket information, visit GoNU.com/tickets.
Game notes
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Reggie Spencer collected a career-high 13 rebounds
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David Walker scored 18 points, one shy of his career high, and tied a career mark with four 3-pointers
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Zach Stahl tied a career high with 16 points
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Scott Eatherton (10 points) scored in double figures for the ninth straight game; Eatherton's steak of four straight double-doubles ended as he played just 15 minutes before fouling out
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Marco Banegas-Flores scored a season-high nine points in 21 minutes of action
> Northeastern's seven 3-pointers were the second-most in a game this season
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