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BOSTON — Freshman T.J. Williams scored a career-high 17 points, but the Northeastern men's basketball team was unable to overcome Towson's 54-percent shooting performance in a 79-70 loss to the Tigers in CAA action Thursday at Matthews Arena.

The Huskies led, 66-64, with 2:50 to play in the game before a decisive 9-0 Towson run put the Tigers ahead for good. Towson (19-9, 10-3 CAA) went 5-for-5 from the foul line during the run and held Northeastern (9-19, 6-8 CAA) scoreless for two minutes to end a six-game losing streak at the hands of the Huskies.

Williams (Pflugerville, Texas) was joined in double-figure scoring by junior Scott Eatherton (15 points), sophomore David Walker (11) and junior Reggie Spencer (10). Eatherton scored all 15 points in the second half and fell one rebound shy of his 18th double-double of the season.

Rafriel Guthrie led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting for the Tigers. Mike Burwell added 19 points and five rebounds, while Marcus Damas and Timajh Parker-Rivera each chipped in 13 points. Jerelle Benimon, the leading rebounder in the nation (11.8 per game), was held to just six boards to go along with eight points and six assists.

Northeastern out-rebounded Towson, 27-25, and held a 40-38 edge in points in the paint. The Huskies are just the second CAA team, and sixth all season, to out-rebound TU. The Tigers shot 64-percent in the second half (14-for-22) and were nearly perfect at the foul line (20-for-22), while Northeastern shot 48-percent from the field (26-of-54) and posted a 75-percent clip at the line (15-of-20).

The teams traded baskets through the first six minutes as Towson inched out to a 12-10 lead courtesy of six points from Parker-Rivera.

Towson pushed the advantage to 16-10, before a layup high off the glass by sophomore Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) initiated a 6-0 run that tied the game at 16-apiece at the 7:50 mark.

Northeastern's defense clamped down and held Towson scoreless for the next five minutes until a layup by Damas gave the visitors the lead back at 18-16. The basket started an 8-0 run for the Tigers as Damas and Benimon each scored four points to give Towson its largest lead of the half at 24-16 with 5:35 showing on the clock.

The Tigers continued to hold the lead down the stretch of the first half until Walker and Spencer kicked the Huskies' offense into high gear. Back-to-back layups from Spencer cut the Towson advantage to 31-29 with 1:23 remaining, before a pair of terrific defensive plays by Walker gave NU the lead going into the half.

Walker came up with a steal at center court and fed Williams for a layup and the foul that put Northeastern on top, 32-31, its first lead since 3-2 in the opening minutes of the game. Walker then stole the ball again on the ensuing possession and finished the play with a powerful one-handed slam to put an exclamation point on a 14-4 run that gave the Huskies a 34-31 edge at the half.

Towson opened the second stanza with a 5-0 run, capped by a corner three from Guthrie, to reclaim the lead at 36-34.

Northeastern responded by giving the ball to Eatherton, who scored his first points of the game with a hook shot from five feet out to tie the score at 36. Eatherton then went back to work on the next possession and finished with a layup and the foul to restore the Huskies' three-point cushion at the 16:46 mark.

The teams then put on a shooting display with four straight 3-pointers. Burwell connected on consecutive triples for Towson, but both were answered by NU as Williams and Walker rose to the occasion to keep the hosts in front, 51-48, with 13 minutes to play.

The Tigers battled back to tie the game at 57 after a layup by Burwell and a pair of free throws by Parker-Rivera. But again Northeastern punched back as Williams slashed to the basket for a layup and the foul to make it 60-57 Huskies with 6:40 remaining.

Northeastern maintained its lead at 66-64 with just under three minutes to play, before Towson put the game to rest with a 9-0 run, capped by four straight points from Burwell, to make it 73-66 Tigers with one minute to play.

The Huskies twice cut the deficit to five, but Towson made all six of its free throws in the final minute to close out the game.

Northeastern will be back in action on Saturday, Feb. 22, for its final road contest of the regular season against William & Mary at 4 p.m. The game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet.

Game notes
> T.J. Williams scored a career-high 17 points, surpassing his previous best of 12, which he most recently scored against William & Mary on Feb. 8
> David Walker dished out a career-high seven assists
> Walker scored in double-figures for the seventh time in the last eight games, and the 11th time in 14 CAA contests
> Towson snapped a six-game losing streak against Northeastern; NU leads the all-time series, 16-12
> Benimon failed to reach double-figures in scoring for just the third time this season; NU has held the Tigers' leading scorer to single digits in both meetings this year (8 points tonight, 6 points on Jan. 22 at Towson)
> Northeastern became just the second CAA team, and sixth all season, to out-rebound Towson
> Towson scored 48 second-half points, tying the mark for most points in a half this season by an NU opponent


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