BOSTON — The Northeastern men's basketball team will welcome second-place Towson to historic Matthews Arena on Thursday night at 7 p.m., in CAA action. The meeting will be the 28th between the programs in a series NU leads, 16-11. The Huskies enter the game on the heels of a 60-44 win at Charleston, while the Tigers are riding high after handing Delaware its only CAA loss of the season, 78-63 on Monday.

A month ago in Maryland, sophomore David Walker drained a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to lift NU to a dramatic 57-54 win at Towson—its sixth straight over the Tigers. For ticket information, visit GoNU.com/tickets. Fans who are unable to attend the game can watch the action live on Comcast SportsNet.


Story lines
• Northeastern and Towson will meet for the 28th time in series history on Thursday at historic Matthews Arena. The Huskies hold a 16-11 lead in the all-time series and have won six straight against the Tigers. A month ago in Maryland, sophomore David Walker drained a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to lift NU to a dramatic 57-54 win. Northeastern has won six straight home games against Towson, dating to 2001.

• Northeastern is coming off its best defensive performance in more than five years. On Saturday, the Huskies allowed just 44 points — the fewest points allowed by an NU team since Jan. 24, 2009 (58-42 at Old Dominion) ­— in a 60-44 victory at the College of Charleston.

• Thursday's game features the nation's top two double-double machines in Northeastern's Scott Eatherton and Towson's Jerrelle Benimon. Benimon leads the NCAA with 18 double-doubles, while Eatherton is second with 17.

• Scott Eatherton has vaulted himself into the CAA Player of the Year conversation. The versatile big man has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 13 games and 24 of NU's 27 outings this season. He continues to rank among the NCAA leaders in double-doubles with 17, and ranks nationally in a remarkable 12 statistical categories, including six top-50 rankings. He also ranks in the top three in the CAA in more statistical categories than any other player, and is the most efficient scorer among the CAA's top 10 scorers.

• David Walker continues to be a steady force for the Huskies. Walker has scored in double figures in six of the last seven games — including each of the last two — and in 10 of NU's 13 CAA games this season.

About the Huskies
Bill Coen's squad played one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules, highlighted by a 63-56 win over Georgetown. Despite the overall record, the Huskies have been highly competitive, and have led or been tied in the second half in all but four games. Scott Eatherton, who is one of the NCAA's top two double-double machines, is making a strong case for CAA Player of the Year. He ranks in the top three in the CAA in six categories and leads NU with 16.1 ppg and 10.3 rpg. David Walker is second in scoring (11.6), while Reggie Spencer is second in rebounding (6.9) and third in scoring (9.3).

Notables from the last time out
Notes of interest from Northeastern's most recent game, a 60-44 win at Charleston:
> Northeastern allowed just 44 points — the fewest since Jan. 24, 2009 (58-42 at Old Dominion)
> NU held CofC to 29.6 percent shooting (16-54), the lowest for an NU opponent since Jan. 28, 2012, when Hofstra shot an identical 29.6 percent (16-54)
> The Huskies shot a season-best 62.5 percent (5-8) from 3-point range, their highest percentage since Jan. 19, 2013 (66.7 percent (10-15) at Delaware)
> Scott Eatherton posted his NCAA-leading 17th double-double (22 points, 10 rebounds) and third in four games
> Northeastern evened the all-time series with Charleston at 1-1; both teams have won on the opponents' court
> David Walker (10 points) scored in double figures for the 18th time this season and the sixth time in seven games
> Reggie Spencer (15 points) equaled his season-high in a CAA game and scored in double figures for the 11th time this season
> T.J. Williams dished a game-high five assists, one off his career high, to go with seven points
> Northeastern improved to 12-3 over the last two seasons when holding an opponent to fewer than 60 points

Towson: A look at the series
Northeastern and Towson will meet for the 28th time in series history on Thursday at historic Matthews Arena. The Huskies hold a 16-11 lead in the all-time series and have won six straight against the Tigers. A month ago in Maryland, sophomore David Walker drained a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to lift NU to a dramatic 57-54 win. The victory snapped Towson's 13-game home-court winning streak. NU, the only remaining CAA member to win at Towson each of the last two years, became the first — and to this point, only — team to win at the Tigers' new SECU Arena. Northeastern has won six straight home games against Towson, dating to 2001, and has never lost to Towson in Boston in CAA play. (A game-by-game series history can be found on page four of the game notes.)

When last we met
With Northeastern's 21-point lead erased, and with the game in the balance, sophomore David Walker drained a 30-foot shot at the buzzer to lift the Huskies to a 57-54 win over Towson on Jan. 22. The victory was NU's sixth straight over the Tigers and snapped Towson's 13-game home-court winning streak. NU, the only remaining CAA member to win at Towson each of the last two years, became the first team to win at the Tigers' new SECU Arena. In a tale of two halves, Northeastern shot a blistering 75 percent from 3-point range—56 percent overall—and employed a frustrating zone defense to take a 40-21 lead into the locker room. After the break, it was Towson's pressure defense that frustrated the Huskies, limiting NU to just 17 second-half points on 22 percent shooting. The Tigers methodically chipped away at the NU lead, closing to within two with just over three minutes remaining. Zach Stahl hit a layup and, after a Towson free throw, Scott Eatherton converted a twisting put-back that appeared to give NU a comfortable five-point cushion with 30 seconds remaining. But Marcus Damas hit a long-distance three and, after one Stahl free throw, Four McGlynn connected on three free throws to tie the game and set the stage for Walker's heroics.

Getting defensive
Northeastern ranks second in the CAA in scoring defense. The Huskies have held seven of their last 11 opponents to 58 or fewer points. NU is 12-3 over the last two seasons, and 21-5 over the last three years, when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points. Under Coen, the Huskies are 63-20 (.759) when keeping opponents under the 60-point mark.

Hot and cold
Northeastern has scored 70 or more points in three of its last seven games. During that span, though, the Huskies have sandwiched in a 46-point game against James Madison and a season-low 45-point performance on Feb. 13 at UNCW. NU has averaged 67.2 points per game in its five CAA victories and 62.1 ppg in its seven conference losses.

Marathon man
David Walker ranks 28th nationally and third in the CAA in minutes per game (36.5).

Fundamental first half
Northeaster's ability to battle back from double-digit deficits in recent years has been well documented. The Huskies, though, have been impressive when leading at the half. NU is 5-0 this season when leading by five or more points at the break, and 13-2 over the last two seasons. Under Coen, NU has won 87 percent of its games (60-9) when enjoying a halftime lead of five or more points.

Coming off a CAA win
Under Bill Coen, Northeastern is 47-26 (.644) in CAA regular-season games following a regular-season conference victory.

Eatherton's double-double distinction
Scott Eatherton is locked in a tight race for the NCAA double-double lead. Eatherton, who has 17 on the year, trails only Towson's Jerrelle Benimon (18). Eatherton reached double-figure points and rebounds before halftime on Jan. 13 against the College of Charleston—the first NU player to do so in more than a decade. He posted four straight double-doubles from Dec. 4 to Dec. 21 to become the first NU player to accomplish the feat since Shawn James in February 2006.

Eatherton continues double-double blitz, ranks nationally in 12 categories
Scott Eatherton collected his 17th double-double on Feb. 15 at Charleston to continue to rank in the NCAA top two. He ranks nationally in 12 categories, including six top-50 rankings.

Eatherton is CAA's most efficient scorer
Of the CAA's 10 leading scorers, Eatherton is the most efficient. His 1.18 points-per-attempt (points from field/FGA) clip ranks first in the CAA.

Eatherton most-frequently ranked in CAA
Eatherton ranks in the top three in more statistical categories than any other player in the CAA. He ranks first in two categories and holds the number two spot in four.

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Up next
Northeastern will travel to Williamsburg, Va., to face the William & Mary Tribe on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. Comcast SportsNet (CSN-MA, CSN-P, CSN-NE, CSS, SNY (TD)) will carry the game live. NU leads the all-time series, 8-7, but the Tribe won the most recent meeting, 82-70, on Feb. 8 in Boston.


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