Box Score

ATLANTA — The Northeastern Huskies claimed the Colonial Athletic Association title outright on Wednesday night with a thrilling 90-84 overtime victory over Georgia State in Atlanta. Senior Joel Smith (Leander, Texas) poured in a game-high 29 points and the Huskies set a CAA record by shooting a remarkable 27-for-27 from the free throw line.

NU (19-10, 14-3 CAA) overcame a double-digit deficit to claim victory for the sixth time this season, erasing a 13-point first-half lead by GSU. The win avenges a Jan. 30 loss to the Panthers (15-16, 10-8 CAA) and gives NU at least one victory over each CAA team this season. The game was Georgia State's last as a member of the CAA.

The Huskies, who trailed by 13 points with under two minutes remaining in the first half, used a 22-8 run that spanned halftime to take the lead less than six minutes into the second half. The lead changed hands three more times before GSU grabbed a four-point edge with less than two minutes remaining in regulation. NU, though, closed the game on a 6-2 run to force overtime. The Huskies then scored the first five points of the extra period and never again trailed, as Smith, a CAA Player of the Year candidate, scored the Huskies' final seven points to secure the win.

The 29-point performance for Smith ties a career high. The sharpshooting Texan also corralled a team-best nine rebounds. Freshman David Walker (Stow, Ohio) was one point shy of his career high, scoring 16 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the arc. Fellow rookie Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored 12 points, all in the second half and overtime, to go with seven rebounds. Senior co-captain Jonathan Lee (Flint, Mich.) tallied 11 points, including a 9-for-9 performance at the free throw line, and narrowly missed a double-double by dishing a game-high nine assists. Sophomore standout Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.) also scored 11 points, giving NU five players in double figures. Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) added six points, while Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) tallied five.

Many Atkins led Georgia State with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Devonta White scored 24, while NU limited R.J. Hunter to 13 points on 33 percent shooting.

Staring down a 13-point deficit late in the first half, the Huskies' Walker and Smith drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the margin to seven and seize momentum heading into the locker room. GSU opened the second-half scoring, but a triple from Ford and a layup by Smith made it a four-point game just over a minute into the second stanza.

After White and Atkins sandwiched jumpers around another Smith lay-in, NU rattled off six straight points to tie the game, 43-43, with 14:24 to play. Walker and Smith hit two free throws apiece and Spencer added a layup to account for the NU points.

After a GSU bucket, Walker dialed in from distance to give the Huskies their first lead (46-45) since the 11:32 mark of the first half. Atkins added a basket for the Panthers before Walker, looking nothing like a rookie, again hit from deep. Smith then made it three triples in a row for the Huskies to push the visitors' advantage to five, 52-47, with 12:45 remaining.

GSU cut the lead to one before a jumper by Ford and two Stahl free throws pushed the margin back to five. The Panthers, though, would not go away as five straight points leveled the score. Lee hit two freebies for NU, but Hunter countered with a rare four-point play to give the home side its first lead in nearly seven minutes, 62-60, with 6:32 showing.

NU used two free throws by Smith, a tip-in by Pollard, and a layup by Stahl over the next three minutes to remain within striking distance, until Atkins hit from long-range to give GSU some apparent breathing room at 70-66 with under 3:00 to play.

But a battle-tested Northeastern team, which now is 11-3 in CAA games decided by seven points or less, responded with a 6-2 run to even the score and force overtime. Stahl, who was clutch down the stretch, scored all six NU points on two conventional three-point plays.

Riding a wave of momentum and stellar rookie performances, the Huskies scored the first five points of the overtime behind a Walker three and two Stahl free throws. White hit a layup for GSU before two Lee free throws pushed the advantage back to five, 79-74, with 2:52 to go.

The Panthers scored four straight points before Lee again hit two from the line for NU. Atkins and White then hit jumpers around two Walker free throws to narrow the lead to just one, 83-82, with 52 seconds remaining.

That's when the CAA's most proficient scorer, Smith, went to work, drilling a 3-pointer and hitting four straight free throws to ice the game and deliver NU its first CAA regular season title.

For the game, Northeastern shot 43 percent (26-60), including 35 percent (11-31) from beyond the arc. The Huskies turned in a free-throw performance like no other, setting a CAA record by shooting a perfect 27-for-27 from the line. The home-standing Panthers shot 52 percent (32-62) from the floor, 35 percent (8-23) from 3-point range, and 63 percent (12-19) from the charity stripe. NU won the rebounding battle, 34-32, and out-scored GSU in fast-break points, 24-8.

Northeastern will return home to historic Matthews Arena for the final time this season to host Old Dominion on Saturday, March 2, at noon, in a game to be televised by Comcast SportsNet. Seniors Jonathan Lee and Joel Smith, who will be making their final regular-season appearances at the venerable arena, will be honored before the game. The game also will mark the end of an era, with ODU playing its final game as a member of the CAA. Tickets are available online at GoNU.com/tickets. NU students can reserve tickets on myNEU.

Game notes
Northeastern won the CAA regular-season title outright for the first time; the conference title is NU's 11th in program history … NU set a CAA record by shooting a perfect 27-for-27 from the free throw line … CAA Player of the Year candidate Joel Smith tied a career high with a game-best 29 points; he scored NU's final seven points in overtime to secure the win … Smith also led NU in rebounding with nine … NU placed five players in double figures … freshman David Walker scored 16 points, just one shy of his career high … Jonathan Lee registered a game-high nine assists, the most by an NU player since Lee tallied 11 assists at Bradley on Dec. 6, 2011 … Northeastern improved to 10-2 in road games and now is one of just 10 Division I programs (of 347) to have registered 10 or more road wins … Northeastern improved to 14-7 (11-3 CAA) in games decided by seven points of less … the Huskies are 4-1 in overtime games this season … for the sixth time this season, NU erased a double-digit deficit to claim victory