Box Score  | Highlights | Postgame Presser | Recap
  CHARLESTON, S.C. – In a game that saw eight ties and 17 lead changes, it came down to the wire yet again between two of the CAA's elite teams, but this time it was the Northeastern men's basketball team (22-10) that prevailed, knocking off the College of Charleston (24-9) in the conference semifinals in front of a raucous crowd of 3,599 on Monday night at North Charleston Coliseum, 70-67.
 
The victory sends Northeastern back to the CAA championship game for the second straight season, and third time in the last five years, setting up a battle between the top two seeds in the tournament. The Huskies will take on top-seeded Hofstra on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament hanging in the balance.
 
With the Huskies trailing 65-64 with less than 40 seconds to play, senior point guard Vasa Pusica took things upon himself, driving to the bucket for the lay-in despite with All-CAA First Team selection Jarrell Brantley on his back to put Northeastern ahead by a point.
 
After Pusica buried two free throws on the following possession to extend the Northeastern lead to 68-65, Tomas Murphy was called for a questionable foul that sent Marquise Pointer to the line for three shots with an opportunity to tie the game. After making the first and missing the second, Pointer attempted to intentionally miss the final free throw, but the shot went down to make it 68-67, and a pair of Donnell Gresham free throws in the final seconds sealed the victory for the Huskies.
 
Pusica finished with 13 points and seven assists on the night, passing Scott Eatherton for Northeastern's program record for scoring among two-year players (1,033), while Shawn Occeus dropped team-high 17 off the bench, including 11 in the first half alone on 4-of-5 shooting (3-of-4 from three). Jordan Roland also reached double-figures with 10 points and three rebounds.
 
NU outrebounded the Cougars 35-24 in the game, along with 12 offensive boards that led to a 14-2 edge in second chance points for the Huskies.
 
The teams went punch-for-punch during a wild first half that saw three ties and 11 lead changes. Occeus led the way for the Huskies with 11 points off the bench in the opening half, including three straight treys midway through.
 
Charleston would use a quick 7-0 run in 54 seconds to go up by nine with six minutes left in the half, its largest lead of the half, as Brantley started to get hot. But a 15-4 Northeastern run to end the first, highlighted by a pair of Anthony Green (six points) dunks, put the Huskies up by a bucket at the break, 35-33.
 
The battle continued into the second half, with five more ties and six lead changes as the Huskies tried to keep Brantley and Grant Riller at bay, who finished with 18 and 10 points, respectively, while Brantley added 10 rebounds and Brevin Galloway dropped 12 points, with seven coming in the second half.