Less than 48 hours after a heartbreaking triple-overtime loss, the difficulties of youth and a challenging Colonial Athletic Association slate reared its ugly head on Saturday afternoon inside Kaplan Arena.
The preseason league favorites Northeastern shot a sizzling 65.5 percent in the second half, including 53.8 percent from 3, to dispatch off William & Mary, 90-70.
The Tribe (7-11, 3-3 CAA) led early thanks to a 9-0 run just over five minutes into the contest. Junior Matt Milon scored five during the spurt, before freshman L.J. Owens’ floater gave W&M a 12-9 lead. W&M led 22-20 with just 6:28 remaining in the opening, before the Huskies finished strong. A 10-2 Northeastern run late in the opening frame gave the visitors a six-point advantage on the break, 40-34.
Northeastern’s Shawn Occeus, who missed the opening nine games of the year due to injury, ignited the Huskies in the second half. He scored 16 of his season-high 21 points in the second half, hitting 5-of-7 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from 3. He came up big during a 17-3 run midway through the second, scoring 10 points, to put the game away. He scored the final seven of the run to push NU’s lead to 78-51 with 5:11 remaining.
Junior Nathan Knight led the Tribe once again with 22 points on 7-of-9 from the field and a perfect 2-of-2 from 3 and 6-of-6 at the free throw line. He added a team-high eight rebounds, four assists and three blocks. Classmate Justin Pierce added 14 points and seven rebounds, while Owens added a career-high 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3, off the bench.
How It Happened
– Occeus sparked an early 7-0 run to give the Huskies a 9-3 lead. He scored the final five points of the run, including a floater at the 17:23 mark to extend the margin to six.
– W&M answered with nine-straight points to regain the lead. Milon scores five during the run, including the igniting 3-pointer. His jumper in the lane at the 14:40 mark gave the Tribe the lead, before Owens’ floater extended the cushion to 12-9.
– Four-straight Pierce points, including a left-side triple, gave W&M a five-point cushion, before Northeastern put together a 7-0 run to move back in front. A Thomas Murphy top-of-the-key 3-pointer with 7:30 left gave the Huskies a 20-18 lead.
– After the Tribe regained the lead with four-straight points, NU’s Jeremy Miller scored seven in a row to give the Huskies a 27-22 lead with 4:39 left.
– The Tribe pulled even at 27 on Owens fastbreak 3-pointer just 42 seconds later, but the Huskies opened up its largest lead of the half with a 10-2 run. Roland and Bolden Brace knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers during the run, before a Donnell Gresham layup and a pair of Vasa Pusica free throw extend the margin to 40-32 with 52 seconds remaining in the half.
– Back-to-back 3-pointers from Occeus and Puscia opened up a double-digit six minutes into the second half. Puscia’s triple at the 13:57 mark gave the Huskies a 54-41 lead.
– The Huskies put the game away with an extended 17-3 run midway through the second half. Occeus highlighted the run for the Huskies, scoring 10 points. He scored the final seven of the run, pushing the NU lead to 78-51 with 5:11 remaining.
– The Huskies connected on 10-of-12 from the field over a better than seven-minute stretch to take an 11-point lead to 83-55 with 3:39 remaining.
Inside the Numbers
– Northeastern shot 60 percent (33-of-55) for the game, including 65.5 percent (19-of-29) in the second half.
– The Huskies connected on 12 3-pointers and shot 48 percent from 3-point range, including 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) in the second half.
– W&M finished the contest at 45.5 percent from the floor (25-of-55), including 36.4 percent (8-of-22) from 3-point range.
– The Tribe held a 31-24 advantage on the glass and outscored NU, 12-0, on second-chance points.
– Northeastern turned 16 W&M turnovers into a 21-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
Notes
Junior Nathan Knight tallied his 10th game of 20 or more points this season … It was his third-straight games of 20 or more points … Freshman L.J. Owens scored a career-high 15 points off the bench … It was his seventh double-digit game of the season … Northeastern has won four of the last five games against the Tribe.
Up Next
– Just one game on the schedule next week for the Green and Gold with the Colonial Athletic Association’s new travel partners. The Tribe closes out its three-game homestand when it welcomes Elon to Kaplan Arena on Saturday, Jan. 19, at 4 p.m.
– The game will be streamed online at Tribe Athletics TV via Stretch Internet.
– Tribe fans can catch the men’s basketball action over the Tribe Radio Network with Jay Colley and Charlie Woollum on the call. The Tide 92.3 FM and 107.9 Bach FM are the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network and the audio is also available over the Web at TribeAthletics.com.
The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show returns on Monday night, Jan. 14, at Paul’s Deli in Williamsburg. The weekly show begins on-site at 6:30 p.m., with the live interview airing from 7-7:30 p.m. Longtime Tribe play-by-play announcer Jay Colley will host the broadcast from Paul’s Deli at 761 Scotland Street in Williamsburg. Shows will be held Mondays from Jan. 7 through Feb. 25. The Chesapeake Bank Tony Shaver Show can be heard over the flagship stations of the Tribe Radio Network at 92.3 FM The Tide and 107.9 Bach FM. It will be streamed online at TribeAthletics.com as well. Click HERE to listen to the Jan. 7 show live online.
