Box Score | Highlights | Coen/Begley Postgame | Occeus/Green Postgame | Infographic

BOSTON – Led by a career-high 24 points from Shawn Occeus, 17 points from Vasa Pusica, and a 10-point, 11 rebound double-double from Bolden Brace, the Northeastern men's basketball team picked up its 20^th victory of the season in an 80-75 win over Towson in their Matthews Arena finale Thursday night.
 
With the win, the Huskies locked up the two-seed in the CAA Tournament. With a College of Charleston loss and a Husky win on Saturday, Northeastern could also earn a share of the regular season title as they are just one game back of the Cougars. The win was also the sixth-straight for Northeastern entering the regular season finale.
 
The momentum shifted early in the second half thanks to a pair of back-to-back blocks from Anthony Green, the second of which resulted in matching technical, but also put the Matthews crowd on its feet and fired up the team as they quickly turned a one-point halftime deficit into an eight-point advantage.
 
The 20^th win of the season marked the 15^th in the 98-year history of the basketball program and the fourth during the Bill-Coen era. The win also marked the Huskies' 12^th home win of the year, the most since the 1994-95 season.
 
Prior to the game, the Huskies honored Devon Begley, the lone Northeastern senior in a pregame ceremony. Begley picked up his seventh start of the season.
 
Occeus went 8-of-12 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep including a three to stop a 15-0 Towson run in the first half and a three at the buzzer to give the Huskies the ultimate lead in the second. He also added seven rebounds, four assists a block and a steal.
 
Pusica finished with 17 points and seven assists, his 13^th 5+ assist effort of the year, while Brace casually put together his second double-double of the year while also adding three assists on the night. Donnell Gresham finished with 10 points and five rebounds.
 
The Tigers were led by Justin Gorham who was 10-of-18 from the field for 28 points and 12 rebounds. Three other Tigers tallied double-digits as Mike Morsell finished with 12, and Eddie Keith and, one of the CAA's leading scorers, Zane Martin finished with 11.
 
The Huskies got out to a fast 11-point lead, building up to a 22-11 lead over the Tigers 11 minutes into the ballgame. But Towson quickly fought back and used a 15-0 run over a three-and-a-half-minute span, following a Gresham 3-pointer, to take a 30-25 advantage over the Huskies with 3:10 to go in the ballgame.
 
A Jeremy Miller offensive rebound followed by a Shawn Occeus trey halted the skid and put the Huskies back into the ballgame.
 
The Huskies held the Tigers without a field goal for the final 3:10 of play, working their way back to a one-point deficit, 31-30 at the half.
 
Northeastern went on an 8-0 run as Green fed Maxime Boursiquot under the basket, Occeus raced out for a fastbreak layup and Green registered the double-block. That play was followed by a Pusica and-one and then a Gresham trey to give the Huskies a comfortable advantage.
 
Huskies rallied off six-straight baskets to take a 55-46 lead, and though Towson was able to work their way back into the ball game, Northeastern connected on enough free throws down the stretch to fend off the Tigers for the win.
 
UP NEXT
The Huskies will take part in their regular season finale at Elon on Saturday night at 7 p.m. The game will be Northeastern's last in Elon's Alumni Gym, as the Phoenix celebrate the final games inside the historic arena. At halftime on Saturday, Feb. 24, when the men's basketball team hosts Northeastern, Elon will recognize men's basketball alumni from the 1950s until present day.