CHARLOTTESVILLE – The Northeastern men's basketball team (4-7) took one of the nation's top teams to the brink on Saturday afternoon, but a pullup jumper from Reece Beekman with five seconds to play gave No. 22/21 Virginia (9-1) the victory at John Paul Jones Arena, 56-54.
 
The Huskies led by as many as 13 in the second half before the Cavaliers trimmed the deficit down to five with 12:48 remaining and took its first lead since the 4:32 mark of the first half with on a three from Isaac McKneely (eight points) with 7:01 left in regulation.
 
It was punch for punch from there, with neither team leading by more than three the rest of the way before Beekman put the hosts up for good in the final seconds.
 
Joe Pridgen, who returned to the rotation after missing the previous two games, led the Huskies with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, while Chris Doherty recorded a team-high 12 points along with nine boards and five assists for a Northeastern team that shot 47% overall and had 18 assists on 24 made baskets. Masai Troutman and Jared Turner both added nine points.
 
The Huskies defense, meanwhile, stood tall throughout the night, holding the Cavaliers to a 39% showing in the first half before UVA finished 42% overall (22-of-53) and just 2-of-14 from deep. Beekman was the difference, though, dropping 21 points on 9-of-18 from the floor along with six rebounds and five assists.
 
Pridgen paced the Huskies with nine points and seven rebounds as Northeastern led by as many as 12 in the opening half before taking a 30-24 lead into the locker room. Virginia would go on a 16-2 run to take a 20-18 lead with 4:32 remaining in the half before Northeastern answered with a 9-0 run of its own to retake the lead before the break and setup a wild second half.
 
The Huskies will be back in action on Tuesday night when Northeastern travels to Central Connecticut State for a 7 p.m. tip-off.