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BOSTON—Northeastern shot a season-high 55 percent and six Huskies reached double figures in an 81-73 victory over Hofstra in CAA men's basketball action on Wednesday night at historic Matthews Arena.

Reggie Spencer (Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and David Walker (Stow, Ohio) scored 15 points apiece to lead a balanced NU attack. Seven of Spencer's points came during a pivotal first-half run that helped the Huskies (8-16, 5-5 CAA) take a 35-29 lead at the break. The Pride (7-17, 3-6 CAA) threatened for much of the second half until a 3-pointer from Demetrius Pollard (Virginia Beach, Va.) with three minutes remaining gave the Huskies all the breathing room they needed.

Zach Stahl (Chanhassen, Minn.) scored 13 points, Pollard and T.J. Williams (Pflugerville, Texas) each tallied 12 points, and Scott Eatherton (Hershey, Pa.) added 11 to join Spencer and Walker in double figures. Eatherton also hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for his NCAA-leading 15th double-double and tied a season-high with four blocks. Jimmy Marshall (Richmond, Va.) scored three points on a key second-half triple.

Dion Nesmith led the Pride with 20 points, followed by Zeke Upshaw with 16 and Jamall Robinson with 13.

Stahl had the hot hand early for the Huskies, scoring NU's first five points. Walker then joined in the action with a steal and layup in transition to give Northeastern its first lead of the game at 7-5.

Midway through the half, with the NU lead at five, Hofstra used a 10-2 run to take its first lead since the opening minutes of action, 22-19, with 6:21 to play.

Spencer, back in action for just the second time since returning from injury, ignited the Northeastern offense with a personal 7-0 run. The Alabaman converted a traditional three-point play, then followed with a layup and a dunk to give the Huskies a 26-22 lead and force a Joe Mihalich timeout.

After a Pollard layup, Spencer again scored to give NU a game-high eight-point lead, 30-22, with 2:42 remaining.

Williams, himself returning from injury, scored NU's final five points — the last on a 3-pointer from the corner with the clock winding down — to send the Huskies to the locker room with a 35-29 lead.

Hofstra twice made it a one-possession game in the opening minutes of the second half before a 5-0 Pride run gave the visitors their first lead in nearly 12 minutes, 43-42, at the 14:27 mark.

Marshall then came up big for the Huskies, hitting a 3-pointer from the left corner that stopped the Pride run. Upshaw followed with a three for Hofstra, but Walker answered with a triple and Northeastern never again trailed.

Spencer followed with a dunk and, after a free throw by HU's Moussa Kone, Walker again dialed in from long range to push the NU lead to six, 53-47, with 11:05 to go.

Hofstra, though, would not go quietly. The Pride remained within two possessions until coming all the way back to knot the score at 62 on a Stephen Nwaukoni layup with seven minutes to play.

After trading a series of free throws, Pollard delivered what proved to be the momentum-swinging shot. The junior guard missed an open look from the left wing but Eatherton corralled the rebound and, when Williams found Pollard again later in the possession, he drilled the 22-foot shot to give the Huskies a 67-63 lead. With the momentum, Northeastern quickly pushed the advantage to eight and closed out the game at the free throw line.

For the game, Northeastern shot 55 percent (26-47) from the floor, 43 percent (6-14) from beyond the arc, and 70 percent (23-33) from the free-throw line. Hofstra hit on 40 percent (26-65) of its field goal attempts, 42 percent (10-24) of its 3-point shots, and 61 percent (11-18) of its charity stripe chances.

Northeastern will close out its only two-game homestand of the season on Saturday, when it hosts William & Mary at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m. For ticket information, visit GoNU.com/tickets.

Game notes
> Northeastern had six players score in double figures for the first time since Nov. 22, 2005—a 105-57 win over Lasell
> Northeastern improved to 5-0 this season when leading by five points or more at the half
> NU won its sixth straight against Hofstra and now leads the all-time series, 18-17
> Scott Eatherton (11 points, 11 rebounds) posted his NCAA-leading 15th double-double
> David Walker (15 points) scored in double figures for the fourth straight game and the 16th time this season
> Reggie Spencer's 15 points are the most he's scored in a CAA game this season
> T.J. Williams tied a career high with 12 points
> Northeastern shot a season-best 55 percent from the floor


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