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Postgame press conference
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — The Northeastern Huskies rallied from a 10-point deficit with 10 minutes remaining to defeat Hofstra, 62-57, on Wednesday night in Hempstead, N.Y.
Joel Smith (Leander, Texas) scored a game-high 19 points, including three 3-pointers in five possessions during a crucial late second-half sequence. With the win, NU improved to 10-1 in CAA play and 15-8 overall.
The Huskies suffered through a cold-shooting first half and trailed by five at the break, 24-19. Hofstra (5-18, 2-8 CAA) increased its lead to a game-high 10 points, 42-32, with 10 minutes to play. From there, Coen's Cardiac Canines ripped off a 19-4 run to seize control of the contest. The game shifted hands during a three-minute, five-possession stretch when Smith hit three 3-pointers and
Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.) converted two free throws to turn a four-point deficit into a five-point lead with 4:02 to go.
It was the fifth time this season that Northeastern erased a double-digit deficit to claim victory.
Ford scored 15 points, including a perfect 6-of-6 performance at the free throw line late in the game, to join Smith in double figures. Senior
Jonathan Lee (Flint, Mich.) registered nine points, while
Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and
David Walker (Stow, Ohio) scored eight and seven, respectively. Sophomore
Marco Banegas-Flores (Boston, Mass.) tallied four points, which helped spark NU's second half surge.
Spencer and Ford corralled seven and six rebounds, respectively, while Lee dished a game-high five assists. Ford tied for the game-high with two blocks, including one on a Buie 3-point attempt with two seconds remain to preserve the win.
Stevie Mejia and Stephen Nwaukoni registered 11 points apiece to lead the Pride, while Taran Buie pitched in with 10. Nwaukoni pulled down a game-best 13 rebounds for the double-double.
Leading by five at the half, Hofstra scored four points in the opening minute of the second half to take a nine-point lead, 28-19. Northeastern, though, responded with a 9-0 run over two minutes to tie the game. Ford ignited the run with a layup and a put-back. Smith then collected a steal at mid-court and went the distance for a lay-in and, after a gutsy sequence and offensive rebound, Lee converted a driving layup and subsequent free throw to knot the game at 28-28 with 16:49 to play.
Mejia ended the NU run with a jumper, but Lee collected a steal and tossed an alley-op to Walker, then followed by making one-of-two free throws to give NU its first lead, 31-30, in more than eight minutes.
The lead was short-lived, as the Pride pieced together a 12-1 run over the next five minutes to take a game-high 10-point lead, 42-32, with 10:12 showing on the clock.
That's when the Huskies launched their successful comeback bid. Ford got things started with a layup off a feed from Lee. Coen inserted Banegas-Flores into the lineup and the Boston native provided an instant spark at both ends of the floor, hitting two driving layups and collecting a steal. After the second Banegas-Flores basket, the Huskies had momentum and were within four at 42-38.
After two Hofstra free throws slowed the momentum, Spencer answered with a pair from the line. Smith then caught fire for the visitors, sandwiching threes from the right wing on consecutive possessions around a Hofstra basket. Ford then hit two free throws and Smith dialed in from long range one more time to push the NU lead to five, 51-46, with 4:02 remaining.
The Red and Black increased the advantage to six on four occasions—the last with 1:33 to go—before Hofstra made one final push. Five straight Pride points narrowed the gap to just one with 15 seconds to play, but Ford went a perfect four-for-four from the free throw line in the waning moments to seal the victory.
The relatively high-scoring second half was in stark contrast to the cold-shooting first half. NU opened the game by taking a 7-3 lead after the first four minutes on a Spencer layup, and a 3-pointer and layup from Smith.
The teams then went scoreless for more than three minutes until Spencer converted a layup on the right side off a well-executed play and pass from Ford at 12:47 to take a 9-3 lead.
Derrico Peck (Woodstock, Ga.) then collected a steal and Lee scored in transition and, following a Hofstra basket, Lee hit a jumper to make it 13-5 at the 10:25 mark.
Hofstra then embarked on a 12-2 run to take a 17-15 lead with 4:03 remaining. A layup by Walker accounted for the only NU points during the stretch that spanned nearly seven minutes.
Ford ended the NU drought with a 3-pointer from the top of the key that gave NU a brief one-point lead, but Hofstra again responded. The Pride closed the half on a 7-1 spurt to take a 24-19 lead to the locker room.
For the game, Northeastern shot 42 percent (21-50) from the floor, including 23 percent (5-22) from beyond the arc. In the second half, NU shot 52 percent and 43 percent, respectively, after going 32 percent and 13 percent in the opening 20 minutes. NU shot 68 percent (15-22) from the free throw line.
Hofstra shot 40 percent (21-52) for the game but connected on only 23 percent (4-17) of its long-range attempts. Hofstra struggled at the free throw line, converting just 50 percent (11-22) of its opportunities. The Pride owned a decisive 40-28 advantage on the glass, yet second chance points just narrowly favored HU (14-8) and points in the paint were even (30-30).
The first-place Huskies will head to Norfolk on Saturday to face Old Dominion in the second game of a three-game road swing. Tip-off at the Constant Center is set for 4 p.m. Comcast SportsNet will broadcast the game throughout the East Coast.
Game notes
Northeastern overcame a double-digit deficit to claim victory for the fifth time this season … NU swept the season series from Hofstra and now has won four straight head-to-head meetings and 15 of the last 18 … NU's 15 overall wins and 10 CAA wins are the most since 2009-10 (20 and 14) … NU is 10-1 in CAA play for just the second time in program history (2008-09) …
Joel Smith scored a game-high 19 points and has led the team or been second in scoring in eight straight games … With four made 3-pointers, Smith is now just five away from tying NU great Matt Janning for second all-time in program history … NU has scored more points off turnovers than its opponents in 10 of 11 CAA games … NU improved to 7-1 in true road games this season and 5-0 in CAA road games … NU's nine turnovers are its fewest since Jan. 12 (at Towson) and tie for its second-fewest in a CAA game this season … Hofstra's 40 rebounds tie a season-high for an NU opponent (at Drexel, Jan. 8)
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