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Northeastern University Athletics

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Northeastern Athletics/Jim Pierce

Men's Basketball

Offensive struggles hamper Huskies in 60-46 loss to Harvard

Box Score   |  Post-Game Press Conference

BOSTON—The Northeastern men's basketball team dropped a 60-46 decision to crosstown foe Harvard (5-1) on Wednesday night at Lavietes Pavilion. The defending Ivy League champions held the Huskies (5-2) to 33 percent shooting, including 20 percent from long range.

11021Despite the offensive struggles, NU battled throughout. But the Huskies surrendered a 14-4 run late in the second half that turned a two-possession game into a comfortable 16-point margin for the Crimson.

Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pennsylvania) scored 16 points for NU to lead all scorers. Front-court mate Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Alabama) also registered double figures with 10 points, and narrowly missed a double-double with a game-best eight rebounds.

The Huskies held Harvard's high-scoring Wesley Saunders to 12 points—nearly 10 below his average—but Siyani Chambers (11), Agunwa Okolie (9), and Steve Moundou-Missi (8) all contributed to a balanced Harvard attack.

The Crimson opened the game by hitting their first five shots to take a quick 10-0 lead right out of the gate. Northeastern, meanwhile, struggled early, hitting just three of its first 11 shots as Harvard extended the margin to 13 points, 19-6, on a Corbin Miller three at the 11:30 mark.

Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minnesota) and Spencer steadied the Huskies with lay-ups to cut the margin to nine, but the Crimson again responded, this time with a three from Chambers, to push the margin to 22-10.

The Huskies then locked down the Crimson the rest of the way, holding Harvard scoreless for four minutes and limiting the hosts to just five points over the final eight minutes of the half. NU, meanwhile, scored 12 points during the span to narrow the gap to five at the break, 27-22.

The Red and Black started the second half quickly and cut the lead to two after a T.J. Williams (Pflugerville, Texas) three on the opening possession. Eatherton then answered four Saunders points with a traditional three-point play to narrow the margin to three. But the Crimson responded with an 8-1 run to push the margin back to double digits (39-29).

The Huskies twice whittled the lead to six, the second time at the 10-minute mark (42-36). But Harvard again had an answer—this time, a 7-2 run to push the margin back to double digits, 49-38, at the seven-minute mark.

The Crimson defense frustrated the Huskies the rest of the way, holding NU to just eight points over the final nine minutes of play to secure the 60-46 win.

Northeastern shot a season-low 33 percent (17-51) from the floor and equaled a season-low from beyond the arc at 20 percent (2-10). The Huskies also struggled at the free throw line, connecting on just 59 percent (10-17) of their attempts. The Crimson shot 52 percent (24-46) from the floor, 29 percent (2-7) from long range, and 77 percent (10-13) from the line. NU won the rebounding battle, 35-24.

Northeastern will return home on Saturday, Dec. 6, when it welcomes Western Michigan to historic Matthews Arena for a 4 p.m. tip-off. The meeting will be just the second ever between the programs. Tickets are available online at GoNU.com/tickets, and Northeastern students can reserve free tickets on myNEU.

GAME NOTES
> Scott Eatherton posted his sixth-straight double-figure scoring game with a game-high 16 points
> Reggie Spencer scored a season-best 10 points to go with a game-high eight rebounds
> Northeastern was held to season lows from the field (33 percent) and free throw line (59 percent), and equaled a season-low from the 3-point arc (20 percent)
> NU held Harvard to its second-lowest scoring game of the season

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Players Mentioned

Scott Eatherton

#43 Scott Eatherton

F
6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
Reggie Spencer

#44 Reggie Spencer

F
6' 7"
Senior
Zach Stahl

#33 Zach Stahl

G
6' 5"
Junior
T.J. Williams

#10 T.J. Williams

G
6' 3"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Scott Eatherton

#43 Scott Eatherton

6' 9"
Redshirt Senior
F
Reggie Spencer

#44 Reggie Spencer

6' 7"
Senior
F
Zach Stahl

#33 Zach Stahl

6' 5"
Junior
G
T.J. Williams

#10 T.J. Williams

6' 3"
Sophomore
G