BOSTON — The first-place Northeastern Huskies will welcome CAA rival Drexel to historic Matthews Arena on Saturday night in men's basketball action. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m., and Comcast SportsNet will broadcast the game throughout the East Coast.

Northeastern (13-8, 8-1 CAA) is off to one of its best conference starts in program history and has won eight of its last nine games. Drexel enters Saturday's game fresh off a 58-54 win at George Mason on Thursday. The Dragons have won four of their last five games. NU defeated Drexel earlier this season, 63-58, in a thrilling overtime affair in Philadelphia on Jan. 8.

The first 1,000 NU students in attendance will receive an exclusive “Light Up Matthews” shirt as part of #LightUpMatthews night at the arena. “The Spot,” the popular fan gathering area on the arena floor level, will open one hour prior to tip-off.

The programs will be meeting for the 52nd time in series history. Drexel leads the all-time series, 36-15.

Tickets for the game are available online at GoNU.com/tickets. Northeastern students can reserve their tickets on myNEU.

Fans unable to attend the game can catch all the action live on Comcast SportsNet, with Gary Tanguay and Jack Armstrong calling the action. WRBB radio also will carry the game live on 104.9 FM and WRBBsports.com with Brandon Challener and Coray Runge on the call. A live stream of the game will not be available, but a replay of all the action will be posted online immediately after the game at GoNU.com/xstream.


Storylines
> Northeastern suffered its first CAA defeat on Wednesday, losing 78-73 to Georgia State; the 8-0 CAA start was the program's best since joining the conference in 2005 and the fourth-best all-time in program history

> NU's eight-game winning streak was its longest since an 11-game streak in 2009-10

> The 8-1 mark in January is the third time NU has posted a one-loss January under head coach Bill Coen (2008-09 and 2009-10, both 9-1)

> NU has tallied 15 or more assists in eight of nine CAA games

> As a team, NU ranks either first or second in the CAA in 10 of 21 statistical categories

> Drexel has won four of five games since Damion Lee returned from injury; over the last three games, Lee is averaging 26.3 ppg in 35.7 mpg


Scouting the teams
NORTHEASTERN will look to rebound from its first CAA loss of the season. The Huskies have won eight of their last nine games, and have lost just two games in the last 45 days. Joel Smith (16.6 ppg) leads four NU players averaging in double figures. Smith has either led the team or been second in scoring in each of the last six games. Jonathan Lee (12.9 ppg), Quincy Ford (12.8 ppg) and Reggie Spencer (11.0 ppg) also pace the Huskies. Spencer (6.3 rpg) and Ford (5.9 rpg) lead the team in rebounding. NU leads the CAA in eight statistical categories: scoring offense, FG percentage, 3FG percentage, assists, steals, turnover margin, assist/turnover ratio, and 3FG made.

DREXEL has won four of its last five games after a 58-54 win over George Mason in Fairfax on Thursday night. Damion Lee, Drexel's leading scorer at 18.8 ppg, has keyed the Dragons' recent success. Lee is averaging 26.3 ppg over his last three games. Backcourt mate Frantz Massenat joins Lee in double figures, averaging 14.0 ppg, while Dartaye Ruffin, Derrick Thomas and Tavon Allen all average just over 7.0 ppg. Daryl McCoy (8.2 rpg) and Ruffin (7.0 rpg) lead Drexel in rebounding. The Dragons are among the CAA leaders in scoring defense (second), free throw percentage (second) and rebounding margin (second).


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.

Conference start among best in NU and CAA history
Northeastern opened the CAA schedule 8-0 before losing to Georgia State on Wednesday. The 8-0 CAA start was the program's best since joining the conference in 2005 and the fourth-best all-time in program history. The hot start also tied for the fifth-best in CAA history. The 2006-07 VCU team and the 1985-86 Richmond team both started 11-0, while James Madison started 9-0 in 1990-91 and 1991-92. Old Dominion in 2004-05 and Richmond in 1988-89 also opened 8-0.

Standing firm in the first month
January has been kind to the Huskies in the Bill Coen era. Since 2006-07, Coen's first season on Huntington Avenue, NU has won 64 percent of its games in the month (44-25). Since 2008-09, NU has been even more dominant, three times losing just once in January and winning at a 73-percent clip (36-13).

The nation takes notice
Northeastern's 8-1 run in the month of January garnered national attention. The Huskies moved into the latest CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, checking in at No. 23.

Smith earns CAA Player of the Week
Joel Smith earned CAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week honors for the week of Jan. 21-27. Smith turned in an impressive week, leading the Huskies to two wins while averaging 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game. The 6-4 shooting guard shot 64 percent (16-25) from the floor, 50 percent (5-10) from 3-point range, and a perfect 100 percent (7-7) from the free throw line on the week.

Sharing the rock
Northeastern has tallied at least 15 assists in eight of nine conference games this season after hitting that mark just three times in 12 non-conference contests. The Huskies lead the CAA, averaging 14.4 assists per game. The per-game average jumps to 16.2 in conference games.

Deep threat
More than a quarter of the Northeastern offense is coming from beyond the arc. The Huskies average a CAA-leading 6.8 made 3-point field goals per game. In league play, the number jumps to 7.9. NU, which made a season-high 11 3-pointers on Jan. 30 against Georgia State, is shooting 37.5 percent from long-range on the season, which is first in the league, and an impressive 45.5 percent in conference games.

Stealing the show
NU, which leads the CAA in steals, has collected at least six steals in 10 of its last 12 games. The Huskies average a CAA-best 7.9 steals per game. Four NU players are averaging at least one steal per contest (Jonathan Lee, David Walker, Joel Smith, and Quincy Ford).

Generating offense
Northeastern has outscored opponents in points off turnovers in eight of nine conference games, enjoying a 20.1-to-11.1 average advantage.

Davey delivers
Freshman David Walker continues to be a steady presence on the floor for the Huskies. In 299 minutes of CAA action, the 6-6 guard has committed just seven turnovers—a rate of just one turnover per 43 minutes of playing time. His assist-to-turnover ratio in conference play is an impressive 5-to-1.

Dinko's defiance
Redshirt junior Dinko Marshavelski set a season high with 11 points on Jan. 27 against George Mason. The Plovdiv, Bulgaria, native went 5-for-6 from the floor and his inspired play in the post garnered enthusiastic “Dink-o” chants from the Matthews Arena crowd. With 75 points in 153 minutes of action, Marshavelski is averaging nearly one point for every two minutes of playing time.

Smith simply scintillating in extra time
Joel Smith tied a career high with 29 points in the double-overtime win over William & Mary on Jan. 23. Impressively, the senior guard scored 16 of those points after regulation, including 11 in the second overtime. Smith did not miss a shot in the overtime periods, going 5-for-5 from the field, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

Marathon man
Senior co-captain Jonathan Lee played every minute of the Huskies' Jan. 23 double-overtime win over William & Mary, logging 50 minutes of action. Lee, who registered 19 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals in the game, is averaging 37.3 minutes per game. The NU record for minutes in a game is 54, set by Dave Leitao and Perry Moss in a triple-overtime 76-72 loss to Villanova in the NCAA tournament on March 14, 1982.

Demetrius dialing in
Sophomore guard Demetrius Pollard is finding his range in conference play. The Virginia Beach, Va., native is shooting 56 percent (14-25) from 3-point range in CAA play after hitting just 28 percent (8-29) in non-conference action. One of his non-conference makes, though, will be long-remembered by Huskies fans. Pollard nailed a 3-pointer from the top of the key with one second remaining to lift NU to a thrilling 65-64 win over city rival Boston University in the season opener.

Coen ranks among best in career CAA wins
Bill Coen continues to establish himself as one of the most highly regarded coaches in the CAA. Coen is currently ninth on the CAA's list of all-time winningest coaches. He is one of just four 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) 133 *
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) 71 *
10. Tony Shaver (William & Mary, 2003-present) 62 *
* active

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 58 percent (79-56) 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).

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  86 games  985 points

Limited pine time
NU's Jan. 30 game against Georgia State was the 110th game of Joel Smith's career. The Leander, Texas, native has appeared in 88 straight games, dating back to Feb. 23, 2010, and has made 67 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).

Shooting star
Senior co-captain Joel Smith is posting impressive shooting numbers. Smith currently leads the CAA in free throw percentage at 87.2 percent. He is second in 3-point field goal percentage at 40.9, and seventh in overall field goal percentage at 47.7.

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Up next
Northeastern will take to the road for the first time since mid-January when it travels to Hofstra on Wednesday, Feb. 6, to open a three-game road swing. Tip-off at the Mack Sports Complex is set for 7 p.m. The Huskies defeated the Pride earlier this season, 65-60, in Boston.