WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — Northeastern used a game-closing 15-4 run to secure a 68-64 come-from-behind win over William & Mary on Monday night in Williamsburg, Va.
Joel Smith (Leander, Texas), who earlier in the day was named CAA Player of the Week, scored a team-high 17 points for NU and tied a career high with six assists as the Huskies moved to 12-1 in Colonial Athletic Association play. The win was Northeastern's first-ever in six visits to Kaplan Arena.
The Huskies (17-8, 12-1 CAA), who made their first seven shots, opened a 10-point first-half lead before settling for a three-point edge at the half. The Tribe (9-14, 3-9 CAA) stormed out of the locker room and, behind a 16-7 run, took a six point lead just over five minutes into the half. NU rallied to tie the score and the teams play nearly four minutes of even basketball. W&M then ripped off seven straight points and appeared to take control of the game before the battle-tested Huskies dominated the game's final six minutes.
Smith, who has led the Huskies or been second in scoring in 10 straight games, shot a remarkable 67 percent (6-9) and, with four made 3-pointers, moved past NU great Matt Janning into second place all-time in 3-point field goals made. With 225, Smith now trails only Huskies great J.J. Barea, who finished his career with 255.
Fellow senior co-captain
Jonathan Lee (Flint, Mich.) scored 12 points on 80 percent shooting (4-5) and sophomore standout
Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.) also netted 12 points. Hampton Roads native
Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored nine points on 3-of-4 shooting from beyond the arc, while
Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) added eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.
David Walker (Stow, Ohio) tallied six points, followed by
Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) and
Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) with two each.
Brandon Britt scored a game-high 18 points to lead four Tribe players in double figures, while Tim Rusthoven corralled a game-high nine rebounds.
Leading by three points at the break, 31-28, Northeastern fell victim to an early Tribe barrage. W&M hit three of its first four shots, along with two free throws, to take its first lead of the game, 37-35, just three minutes into the second period.
The lead grew to six, 44-38, before Smith and Pollard hit back-to-back long-range bombs to level score with 12:45 to play. From there, the teams traded baskets over the next four minutes. Spencer hit a layup to answer two Britt free throws. Stahl then hit a layup to give NU its first lead in seven minutes, but Britt quickly responded with a layup of his own. A Spencer lay-in for NU was answered by a layup by W&M's Marcus Thornton. Pollard then hit his second three of the game, only to see Thornton drain his own long-range jumper to again even the score.
Thornton again hit a shot from beyond the arc to ignite a 7-0 run and give the Tribe a 60-53 lead — their largest of the game — with 6:14 to go.
From there, the resilient Huskies went to work. Walker, a freshman standout, dialed in from deep to launch a game-closing, game-winning 15-4 run. Following two W&M free throws, Ford hit two from the line. Lee followed with a jumper and, a possession later, made one of two free throws. Spencer then hit a layup to give NU the lead for good, 63-62, with 1:33 to play. Smith hit one of two free throws, and Ford and Lee both added a pair at the line before a Rusthoven layup at the buzzer set the final score at 68-64.
Northeastern opened the first half with the hot hand, connecting on its first seven shots to take a 17-7 lead. The 10-point margin was the largest of the game for either team. Smith hit a jumper, followed by a Ford three, lay-ins by Lee and Spencer, another Ford three, a Lee jumper, and a Walker three.
The Tribe answered with five straight points before Smith hit the first of his game-high four 3-pointers. Five more Tribe points cut the lead to three before the scintillating Smith again dialed in from long-range to settle the visitors. Pollard then got into the act, hitting the first of his two 3-pointers, to give NU a nine-point advantage, 26-17, with just under six minutes to play in the half.
The Tribe ripped off seven straight points before Smith, again, stepped up for the Huskies. The sharpshooter hit his third triple of the half and, on the next NU possession, Banegas-Flores attacked the paint and laid the ball in to give the Red and Black a 31-24 lead with 1:36 to play before the half. W&M scored the final four points to send the teams to the locker room with NU leading, 31-28.
For the game, Northeastern shot 52 percent (24-46), including an impressive 57 percent (12-21) from beyond the arc. The Huskies converted just 61 percent (8-13) of its attempts from the free throw line. W&M shot 48 percent (24-50) from the floor, 37 percent (7-19) from distance, and 90 percent (9-10) from the line. The teams battled to a 26-26 draw in the rebounding battle.
Northeastern will return home to historic Matthews Arena to host Delaware on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. The Huskies defeated the Blue Hens earlier this season, 74-70, on Jan. 19 in Newark, Del.
Game notes
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