Box Score |
Highlights |
Coen/Occeus postgame |
Recap
BOSTON– The Northeastern men's basketball team improved its win-streak to four games with a decisive 88-71 victory over UNCW Saturday afternoon at Matthews Arena.
Led by the trio of
Vasa Pusica (21 points, three assists),
Shawn Occeus (20 points, 4-of-7 3FG), and
Jordan Roland (17 points), the Huskies broke free in the second half, outscoring UNCW 48-33 during the final 20 minutes of action for the win.
Donnell Gresham had nearly a triple-double, finishing with six points, six rebounds and seven assists on the day. Gresham's six points all came in a 30-second stretch midway through the second half.
Devontae Cacok led the way for UNCW, finishing with 23 points and 13 rebounds, while Jeantal Cylla added 18 points and Ty Gadsden finished with 13.
Northeastern's defensive effort, forcing 12 UNCW turnovers, was matched by offensive efficiency at its finest, as the Huskies turned the ball over just four times in the 40 minutes of action, a season low and least since a four turnover game against Delaware on Jan. 18, 2014, almost five years ago to the day.
FIRST HALF
The Huskies started the game off hot, beginning things with four-straight threes. Kicked off by Pusica, Occeus and Brace each added one to game a 12-8 advantage in the first three minutes.
Midway through the frame, the Huskies and Seahawks were neck and neck, changing leads five times, until Occeus drained a three to give Northeastern a two-point, 24-22 lead with 7:59 left in the first half, erasing what would end up being UNCW's final lead of the game.
A Donnell Gresham steal led to a transition three from
Jordan Roland capping off an 8-0 run by the Huskies and giving them a 32-27 advantage with six minutes left in the quarter.
UNCW rallied back down the stretch to make it a two-point, 40-38, game heading to the locker rooms at the half.
SECOND HALF
The Seahawks notched the first bucket of the second half to tie the game at 40-all, and then the Huskies took off.
Pusica followed that up with a strong and-one at the rim and a pair of free throws by Occeus broke open a five-point lead.
The two teams traded buckets until the 12-minute mark, when Northeastern raced out on a 17-4 run, which broke the game wide open and gave Northeastern a 74-57 lead with just under eight minutes to go.
Northeastern followed four UNCW points with another eight of its own including more Pusica free throws as he kept his streak alive from the charity stripe going 3-for-3 during the game and improving to 19-of-19 in the last four games. His final two free throws put him over the 20-point mark for the second-straight game and fifth time this season.
A monster dunk by
Anthony Green sealed the victory for the Huskies as they extended their lead to 19, and then ultimately 22 points, coming away with the win.
NEXT UP
The Huskies bring their four-game win-streak to the road to finish out the month of January when they head to Towson and James Madison next week. The trip begins against the Tigers on Thursday night as the CBS Sports Live game of the Week at 7 p.m. and will round out in Harrisonburg Saturday at 4 p.m.
