Box Score  |  Season Stats  |  Infographic

ELON, N.C. – The Elon Phoenix started strong in both halves to hand the Northeastern men's basketball team a 72-65 loss on Thursday in CAA play at Alumni Gym.

Elon (13-17, 5-12 CAA) led by as many as 12 in the second half, before a late run brought Northeastern (19-11, 11-6 CAA) within two, 53-51, with 6:42 to play. The Huskies would get no closer, however, as the Phoenix went on an 8-2 run to pull away down the stretch.

Senior Scott Eatherton scored a game-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, while junior David Walker added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists.

Elijah Bryant led Elon with 16 points and eight rebounds, and was joined in double-figure scoring by Tanner Samson (13 points) and Dmitri Thompson (12 points).

The Phoenix held a 33-32 edge in rebounds and scored 18 points off 15 Northeastern turnovers. 

The Huskies shot 49 percent (27-for-55), but had a tough time at the line (7-for-12) and from beyond the arc (4-for-15).

The Phoenix jumped out to a 21-10 lead at the eight-minute mark, before the Huskies stormed back with a 17-2 run to claim a 27-23 advantage with 1:30 remaining in the half.

Sophomore T.J. Williams ignited the rally with a steal and dunk to bring NU within nine, before Eatherton put the team on his back with 12 of the Huskies' last 15 first-half points to lead all scorers with a dozen points at the break.

Despite claiming a brief lead, Northeastern fell behind by a point at the half, 28-27, when Thompson canned a jumper with 47 ticks showing on the first-half clock.

After scoring the last four points of the opening half, the Phoenix raced out of the gates with an 18-7 run to start the second stanza. Bryant led the charge with eight points during the surge, including a pair of 3-pointers, to help the hosts to a 46-34 lead.

Northeastern hit its first triple of the game at the 11:46 mark of the second half when Walker curled around a screen and knocked down a high-arcing shot from the corner.

The Huskies pulled all the way back within a basket at 53-51 following a 7-0 run, but Elon responded when Samson drained a 3-pointer to pad the lead.

Northeastern was unable to get closer than five down the stretch as the Phoenix shot 57.7 percent in the second half to close out the game.

The setback drops the Huskies to third place in the CAA standings with one game remaining in the regular season. Northeastern will look to close out the weekend on a high note when it travels to Charleston on Saturday for an 8 p.m. contest. The game will be streamed live on NESN.com.

Game Notes
• Northeastern lost its first-ever game against Elon (1-1).
• Scott Eatherton scored at least 20 points for the eighth time this season.
• NU fell to 0-7 on the year when out-rebounded by its opponent.
• David Walker scored in double-figures for the seventh straight game.

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