CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Northeastern men's basketball team (19-11, 11-6 CAA) will look to close out the regular season on a high note when it takes on Charleston (8-22, 3-14 CAA) on Saturday at 8 p.m. at TD Arena. The game will be streamed live on NESN.com with Mike Gleason and Mack McCarthy on the call.
STORY LINES• Northeastern will battle Charleston for the fourth time in program history on Saturday. The Huskies lead the all-time series, 2-1, and have won two straight meetings, including a 69-67 decision on Jan. 17 at Matthews Arena. All five Northeastern starters scored in double-figures on that day, led by an 11-point, 10-rebound performance from
Zach Stahl.Â
• The Huskies shot 53.5 percent in their 69-67 win over Charleston on Jan. 17. Northeastern has shot 50 percent or better in nine of 17 CAA contests, and owns a 9-0 record in those games.Â
• Northeastern is coming off a 72-65 loss at Elon on Thursday. Senior
Scott Eatherton scored a game-high 20 points, while junior
David Walker added 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. After leading by a point at the half, Elon opened the second stanza on an 18-7 run to claim a 12-point lead with 12 minutes to play. The Huskies battled back to within two, but got no closer as the Phoenix shot 57.7 percent in the second half to salt the game away.
• With 17 points on Thursday at Elon, Walker extended his double-figure scoring streak to seven straight games. The Stow, Ohio, native has been red-hot as of late, averaging 18.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds over his last five contests.Â
• Eatherton scored 20 points against the Phoenix on 9-of-13 shooting to raise his season field goal percentage to a CAA-best 60.1 clip. The figure ranks ninth among all players in the nation this season.Â
• Elon out-rebounded Northeastern by a 33-32 margin Thursday to drop NU's record to 0-7 when out-rebounded by its opponent this season. Conversely, the Huskies are 19-4 in 2014-15 when pulling down at least as many boards as their opponent.
• Northeastern ranks 20th nationally with a 48 percent team shooting clip. The Huskies have eclipsed the 50-percent shooting threshhold in 12 games this season and own a 12-0 record in those contests.
• The Huskies are 9-1 in games following a loss this season. The Huskies' .900 winning percentage in games following a defeat ranks 21st in the nation, while NU's nine post-loss wins are tied for the fifth-most in the NCAA with 16 other teams.
• Northeastern is 11-0 this season when it scores 70 points or more in a game. Conversely, the Huskies are 8-11 when scoring 69 points or fewer.
• A win on Saturday would give NU its third 20-win season under head coach
Bill Coen, and its 14th 20-win season in program history
• With one game remaining in the regular season, the Huskies will either be the No. 3 or the No. 4 seed in the upcoming CAA Championship. A win over Charleston on Saturday would guarantee the No. 3 spot, while a loss and a JMU win would slide NU to the No. 4 spot.
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