BOSTON—Northeastern and Hofstra will meet for the second time in just 12 days when the Pride visit Boston on Wednesday night in men's basketball action. Tip-off at Matthews Arena is set for 7 p.m. The Huskies, who are looking to snap a two-game slide in CAA play, have won five straight against the Pride, including a 70-57 decision in Hempstead on Jan. 25. Hofstra has lost four in a row after winning three of its first four CAA games. For ticket information, visit
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Story lines
• Northeastern and Hofstra will meet for the second time in just 12 days and the 35th time in series history when the Pride visit Boston on Wednesday. The rivalry is deadlocked, 17-17, after NU's 70-57 victory in Hempstead on Jan. 25. The Huskies have won five straight in the series.
• Northeastern will look to end a two-game conference slide on Wednesday night. The Huskies have not lost three consecutive CAA games since Feb. 11, 2012. NU, which lost the last time it played at Matthews Arena, has not lost two straight at the arena since Jan. 12, 2011.
•
Scott Eatherton has vaulted himself into the CAA Player of the Year conversation. The versatile big man has scored in double figures in eight of the last nine games and 20 of NU's 23 outings this season. He continues to lead the nation in double-doubles with 14, and ranks nationally in a remarkable nine statistical categories, including four top-50 rankings. He also entered the week ranked in the top three in the CAA in more statistical categories than any other player, and was the most efficient scorer among the CAA's top 10 scorers.
• Northeastern ranks third in the CAA in scoring defense. The Huskies have held five of their last seven opponents to 58 or fewer points. NU is 11-2 over the last two seasons, 20-4 over the last three years, and 62-19 (.765) during Coen's tenure when limiting teams to fewer than 60 points.
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 three games. NU has won three of its last six games and the Huskies' defense has stifled CAA opponents.
Scott Eatherton, who leads the nation in double-doubles, is making a strong case for CAA Player of the Year. He entered the week ranked in the top three in the CAA in five categories and leads NU with 16.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg.
David Walker is second in scoring (11.8), while
Reggie Spencer is third in scoring (9.2) and second in rebounding (7.2).
Notables from the last time out
Notes of interest from Northeastern's most recent game, an 80-67 loss at Delaware:
> Northeastern lost for just the third time in nine visits to Newark as a CAA member (6-3)
> The loss snapped Northeastern's three-game CAA road winning streak
>
Scott Eatherton (21 points) registered his ninth 20-point game of the season and his 20th double-figure scoring game of the season
>
David Walker (12 points) scored in double figures for the third straight game and 15th time this season
>
Reggie Spencer returned from injury to see his first action since Jan. 18
>
Kwesi Abakah scored a career-high seven points in eight minutes of action
> The 13-point loss was NU's worst CAA regular-season loss in nearly two years (Feb. 11, 2012, 79-54, at William & Mary)
Hofstra: A look at the series
Northeastern and Hofstra will meet for the 35th time in series history on Wednesday in Boston. The rivalry is deadlocked, 17-17, after NU's 70-57 win less than two weeks ago in Hempstead. The Huskies have won the last four head-to-head meetings and nine of the last 13. Northeastern won the first-ever meeting more than 60 years ago, 55-53, on Feb. 4, 1950, in Boston. The programs didn't meet again until 1994, then played for seven straight seasons. After a four-year hiatus, the rivalry resumed in 2006. (A game-by-game series history can be found on page four of the game notes.)
Getting defensive
Northeastern has held five of its last seven opponents to 58 or fewer points. NU is 11-2 over the last two seasons, and 20-4 over the last three years, when holding an opponent to 59 or fewer points. Under Coen, the Huskies are 62-19 (.765) when keeping opponents under the 60-point mark. NU ranks third in the CAA in scoring defense.
Marathon man
Entering the week,
David Walker ranked 11th nationally and first in the CAA in minutes per game (37.0).
Oh, so close
Northeastern has been competitive against one of the nation's toughest schedules. Of the Huskies' 23 games, 17 have been decided by 10 points or less, and 12 have been decided by five or fewer points. NU was an impressive 13-4 in games decided by five points or less a season ago. This year's young Huskies are 3-9 in such games.
Coming off a CAA loss
Under
Bill Coen, Northeastern is 28-29 in games following a regular-season conference loss. The Huskies, though, have won seven of their last 10 games following a CAA loss.
Stating the case
Scott Eatherton: Candidate for CAA Player of the Year
Eatherton leads nation in double-doubles
Scott Eatherton collected his NCAA-leading 14th double-double—and fourth straight—in NU's win at James Madison on Jan. 15. That followed an impressive performance against the College of Charleston, in which he reached double-figure points and rebounds before halftime—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's double-double in the season opener against Boston University was the first for an NU player since Dec. 29, 2012 (
Quincy Ford at UAB) and the first for a player in his NU debut since Nov. 11, 2011 (
Reggie Spencer at BU). (Eatherton currently is tied with Jerrell Benimon (Towson) and Roscoe Smith (UNLV) for the national lead in double-doubles.)
Eatherton is CAA's most efficient scorer
Of the CAA's 10 leading scorers,
Scott Eatherton is the most efficient. When you calculate points scored from the field against total shot attempts, Eatherton's 1.16 points per attempt clip outpaces the rest of the league. (As of Feb. 2, 2014.)
Eatherton most-frequently ranked in CAA
Scott Eatherton ranks in the top three in more statistical categories than any other player in the CAA. Eatherton leads the league in three different statistical categories—double-doubles, blocked shots, and offensive rebounds. He holds the number two spot for rebounds per game, field goal percentage, and defensive rebounds. (As of Feb. 2, 2014.)
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Up next
Northeastern will conclude its only two-game homestand of the season when it welcomes William & Mary to historic Matthews Arena on Saturday, Feb. 8. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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