NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Trailing by 13 with 14:39 to play, the Northeastern men's basketball team (5-7) fought all the way back behind 21 points from Chris Doherty to knock off Central Connecticut State (4-7) on Tuesday night at Detrick Gymnasium, 79-74.
 
In a game that saw 11 ties and eight lead changes, the Huskies put the ball in Doherty's hands with less than a minute to play and the score tied at 73. After his hook shot missed, Rashad King was there to gather the offensive board, one of 13 for Northeastern on the night, and put it back to give Northeastern the lead for good.
 
Doherty reached the 20-point plateau for the third time this season, and second time in the last three games. He led four Huskies in double figures, joined by 14 from Harold Woods off the bench and 10 apiece from Jared Turner and Masai Troutman. King added seven points, six rebounds and three assists while Bryce Johnson contributed six points, eight boards and three assists in his best performance as a Husky.
 
Northeastern finished the night shooting 49% overall with 44 points in the paint, and 19-of-25 free throws, including 15-of-19 in the second half. 
 
Jordan Jones (22 points) and Allan Jeanne-Rose (21 points) were the story for Central Connecticut State, which shot 49% overall and 40% from deep.
 
The Huskies shot 55% as a team in the first half, controlling the game and leading by as many as eight before taking a 38-36 lead into the locker room.
 
Doherty led the way with 10 points for the visitors on 5-of-8 shooting and three assists as Northeastern scored 26 of its 38 first half points in the paint. Luka Sakota also got it going for the Huskies with nine points on 4-of-6 shooting.
 
CCSU, meanwhile, was paced by Jeanne-Rose's 12 first half points as the Blue Devils shot 50% (13-of-26) in the first half and 3-of-7 from deep, closing the half on 6-0 run to trim the deficit to two at the break.
 
Central Connecticut State came out firing in the second half, starting 7-of-8 from the field to open on a 17-2 run and take a 51-40 lead, prompting a Northeastern timeout.
 
The Huskies got it going out of the timeout, going on an 8-2 run to claw back into it, highlighted by a pair of triples from Turner to make it 55-48 CCSU with 12:45 left.
 
It was a dog fight from there, with five ties and three lead changes over the final 11 minutes to set up the exciting finish before the Huskies iced the game with free throws in the final minute.
 
The Huskies will head home for an 11-day holiday break before closing non-conference play on Dec. 30 at Rhode Island. Tip-off at the Ryan Center is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.