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SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Cal Poly rallied from a 14-point halftime deficit to stun the Northeastern men's basketball team, 60-58, on Wednesday in the opening game of the Cable Car Classic at the Leavey Center. 

The Huskies (6-3) led for over 38 minutes, before the Mustangs (5-4) grabbed their first lead at 59-58 on a pair of free throws with 52 seconds to play. Another free throw pushed the advantage to two with 30 seconds left, giving Northeastern the final possession and a chance to tie or take the lead. Coming out of a timeout with six ticks remaining, the Huskies worked the ball to redshirt junior Quincy Ford at the top of the arc, but his three-point attempt was blocked at the buzzer to seal the game for the Mustangs.

Senior Scott Eatherton posted his second straight double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds for NU, while Ford stuffed the stat-sheet with 13 points, six rebounds and six assists. Junior Zach Stahl added 10 points and eight boards, while junior David Walker chipped in seven points and five assists.

Northeastern posted 19 assists on 23 field goals and shot 42-percent from the field (23-for-55). 

After scoring only 17 points in the first half, Cal Poly erupted for 43 in the second stanza on 65-percent shooting (17-for-26). Brian Bennett led the Mustangs with 19 points and nine rebounds, while David Nwaba added 17 points and four assists.

Eatherton paced the Huskies in the first half with 11 points and nine rebounds in the opening 20 minutes. The Hershey, Pennsylvania, native had his way with the Mustangs inside, before stepping out and drilling a 3-pointer with two minutes left in the half to give NU a 29-17 lead.

Defensively, the Huskies held Cal Poly to just 8-of-27 shooting (30-percent) in the opening frame, including a five-minute scoreless stretch in which NU built a 10-point cushion at 16-6. 

A dunk from Nwaba ignited a 7-0 Mustangs' run to bring Cal Poly within three at the 7:45 mark, but Northeastern was able to stem the tide and close the half on a 15-4 run, capped by a layup from Eatherton in the final minute of the frame.

Cal Poly matched the Huskies' run with a 15-4 spurt of its own to pull within three, 35-32, at the 15-minute mark of the second stanza. 

A 3-pointer from freshman Devon Begley and a jumper by senior Reggie Spencer briefly put an end to the Mustangs' momentum, but a pair of thunderous dunks by Nwaba kept Cal Poly within striking distance at 47-42 as the clock ticked under eight minutes.

With just under five minutes remaining, sophomore T.J. Williams kicked the ball out to Ford for a triple from the left wing to give NU a 56-49 lead, but an 8-2 Cal Poly run–highlighted by a pair of layups from Bennett–cut the Huskies' lead to one with 1:38 to play. 

Cal Poly's Reese Morgan was then fouled on a 3-pointer, and converted two shots to give the Mustangs their first lead of the game, 59-58, with 52 seconds left. 

Walker had a good look at the basket with a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 40 seconds left, but his attempt hit back iron and Cal Poly was able to clamp down in the final seconds for a gutsy victory.

The Huskies return to action in the Cable Car Classic on Saturday for a matchup against tournament host Santa Clara at 5 p.m. ET. 
 

NOTES
• Scott Eatherton registered his second straight double-double and 27th of his career
• Eatherton's 12 rebounds represented a new season high
• Quincy Ford notched a career-best six assists
• Northeastern led for 38:07; Cal Poly led for 0:22
• The Huskies assisted on 19 of their 23 field goals
• NU fell to 0-2 all-time against Cal Poly

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