Box Score
WATCH: Postgame press conference (Coen, Lee, and Smith)

RICHMOND, Va. — For the first time in program history, Northeastern (20-11) entered the Colonial Athletic Association tournament as the No. 1 seed. Early in Sunday's semifinal game against fourth-seeded George Mason (18-14), it looked as though the Huskies' stay in Richmond would be a short one, trailing 31-7 late in the first half. What happened next will long live in Northeastern lore. NU ripped off a 26-2 run to tie the game just three minutes into the second half and senior co-captain Jonathan Lee laid the ball in as time expired to give NU a 69-67 win and send the Huskies to their first CAA tournament final.

The 24-point comeback is the largest in the 93-year history of the Northeastern men's basketball program.

Senior co-captains Lee (Flint, Mich.) and Joel Smith (Leander, Texas) scored 14 points apiece to lead Northeastern's historic comeback. Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) scored 13 points, while sophomore classmate Quincy Ford (St. Petersburg, Fla.) tallied 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) added eight points, followed by David Walker (Stow, Ohio) with five, Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) with three, and Dinko Marshavelski (Plovdiv, Bulgaria) with two.

The Huskies senior backcourt turned in a memorable second half, as Smith hit 4-of-5 3-point attempts and Lee hit all four of his free throws and both of his field goal attempts — the last being the game-winning layup.

Mason's Bryon Allen, a junior guard, was impressive, scoring 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting to lead the Patriots. Marko Gujanicic tallied 12 points, while Jonathan Arledge, Vertrail Vaughns, and Sherrod Wright scored 10 each. Paris Bennett added three and Corey Edwards two.

The Huskies, feeling the effects of a first-round bye and seven-day layoff, went scoreless for the first 9:34 of the game, falling behind 13-0. Mason continued to fire on all cylinders, twice pushing the advantage to 24 points. Following a Wright runner for Mason that was released just as the shot clock expired, the NU bench was assessed a technical foul. Vaughns hit 1-of-2 at the line to give the Patriots a commanding 31-7 lead at 3:36.

But Northeastern had been here before. Bill Coen's Cardiac Canines had rallied from double-digit deficits to claim victory six times during the regular season — the largest an 18-point second-half gap at Princeton on Nov. 13.

The Huskies owned the next six minutes, scoring the final 12 points of the first half and the first nine of the second to pull within 31-28 just 88 seconds into the second half.

A Pollard jumper ignited the run to close the first half, as NU's defensive pressure rattled the Patriots. Spencer followed with a layup, Stahl a free throw, and Lee a lay-in. NU continued to apply pressure, and Pollard again dialed in from deep and Lee added another layup to cut the lead to 31-19 and send NU to the locker room with a wave of momentum.

As cold as the Huskies were to open the game, they were equally as hot to start the second frame. Walker hit a three on NU's first possession, and Smith followed with back-to-back threes to close the gap to three (31-28) with 18:32 to play and send the fans clad in red and black into a frenzy.

Arledge hit a jumper to end a nearly-six-minute scoring drought for Mason, but the Huskies continued their charge. Ford hit a three and Smith followed with a layup to tie the game, 33-33, for the first time since the opening tip.

Mason responded with a 12-4 run of its own to take an eight-point lead, 45-37, with 13:18 to go.

Spencer answered for the Huskies, absorbing contact on a dunk and hitting the free throw to complete the three-point play. Smith, the sharp-shooting Texan, hit another triple, and Spencer hit 1-of-2 at the line to close the margin to one, 45-44, with 11:15 showing on the Richmond Coliseum clock.

After an Allen lay-in for Mason, Pollard again hit a three — his third of the game — to level the score at 47.

Four straight Patriots points were answered with another NU surge. Stahl hit two free throws and Smith came up big again, hitting from beyond the arc to give Northeastern its first lead of the game, 52-51, with 8:29 remaining.

From there, the teams played nearly four minutes of even basketball, with three ties and five lead changes — the fifth coming on a Gujanicic layup at 4:43 that gave Mason a 62-61 lead. That basket opened a 7-0 run that gave the Patriots a 67-61 lead with 2:54 to play and left many wondering if the Huskies had enough left in the tank to complete the improbable comeback.

All doubts were erased and Coen's charges scored the game's final eight points to storm to the victory and the CAA championship game. Lee and Ford hit two free throws apiece and Ford added a lay-in off an assist from Smith with 57 ticks on the clock to tie the game, 67-67.

A stout defensive effort by the Huskies was capped when Ford collected a steal with 29 seconds remaining. Out of timeouts, Coen turned the game over to his senior backcourt. Running a familiar play, and with the clock winding down, Lee gained a step, drove the lane, and calmly laid in the game-winning basket to give Northeastern the 69-67 win, sending NU to the CAA championship game for the first time.

For the game, Northeastern shot 47 percent (22-47) from the floor, including 61 percent (14-23) in the second half. The Huskies connected on 50 percent (9-18) of their 3-point attempts, including 64 percent (7-11) in the second half. NU shot 67 percent (16-24) from the line. Mason shot 63 percent (26-41) for the game, including 57 percent (4-7) from beyond the arc. The Patriots were 85 percent (11-13) from the charity stripe.

The Huskies will face No. 3 James Madison in the title game on Monday night at 7 p.m. at the Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Va. JMU defeated No. 2 Delaware, 58-57, in the other semifinal contest.

Game notes
Northeastern will appear in the CAA championship game for the first time … the 24-point deficit is the largest overcome by a Northeastern squad in the program's 93-year history; NU rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to win at Princeton earlier this season on Nov. 13 … NU has rallied from double-digit deficits to claim victory seven times this season, including four times when trailing by double digits in the second half … NU is 3-0 against Mason this season and has won four straight against the Patriots … Northeastern scored 50 points in the second half, the second time this season it has done so (previous was 54 at George Mason on Jan. 3) … Northeastern improved to 13-4 this season in games decided by five points or less … Joel Smith scored in double figures for the 23rd time this season (64th time in his career), and Jonathan Lee reached double figures for the 16th time this year (also the 64th time in his career) … the Huskies will be hunting an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament on Monday night; NU has made seven NCAA tournament appearances, the last in 1991