The William & Mary men’s basketball team dropped its second-straight Colonial Athletic Association home tilt, 90-70, to Northeastern on Thursday night at Kaplan Arena. The Huskies (12-7, 5-2 CAA) shot 71.4 percent (35-of-49) from the floor, including 12-of-19 from 3-point range, to outdistance the Green and Gold (12-6, 5-2 CAA).
NU hit 11 of its first 13 shots, including six 3-pointers, to open up a double-digit advantage. The Huskies hit five-straight triples and scored 12 points in a row to take a 27-13 lead midway through the first half. Bolden Brace knocked down back-to-back threes, while Vasa Pusica added a pair during the spurt.
Pusica scored five in a row as part of his 18 first-half points to help the Northeastern lead balloon to 38-19 with 6:14 remaining in the half. Senior Connor Burchfield scored the final six points of the opening 20 minutes to close the deficit to 47-34 at the break. NU was 8-of-12 from 3-point range in the first stanza.
A Burchfield triple two minutes into the second frame drew W&M within 12, but the Huskies responded with a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach. After missing its opening field goal attempt in the final 20 minutes, NU hit seven straight shots, including the 12-point spurt, to open up a 24-point cushion.
Individual Player Spotlight
Sophomore Nathan Knight led four Tribe players in double figures with 15 points and six rebounds. Classmates Justin Pierce and Matt Milon finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively, and senior Connor Burchfield added 11.
Vasa Pusica led all scorers with 20 points to go along with a game-high nine assists. Bolden Brace and Shawn Occeus added 13 and 12 points, respectively.
Inside the Numbers
– Northeastern’s 71.4 percent (35-of-49) shooting equaled the best mark in the country this season and is the fourth best in CAA history. After shooting 69.2 percent (18-of-26) in the first half, NU connected on 73.9 percent (17-of-23) in the second.
– The Tribe finished the game at 46.3 percent (25-of-54) from the floor and was an uncharacteristic 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from 3-point range.
– The Green and Gold continued its hot shooting from the free throw line connecting on 15-of-18 (83.3 percent). It marked the 12th time W&M shot 80 percent or better from the charity stripe this season.
Up Next
The Tribe hits the road on Saturday night for the first of three-straight away tilts, starting with Elon. The contest carries a 7 p.m., tip time from Alumni Gym. The game will be broadcast online at CAA.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.
