The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

NU moves into first place tie

By Andrew Parente, News Staff

In a battle of the two top men’s basketball teams in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), it was no surprise to see the contest come down to the game’s final possessions.
NU held a 56-55 advantage with 1:37 remaining until Mason guard Cam Long was able to get to the free throw line after a foul in the paint.
Long converted on both attempts to give the Patriots their first lead of the game, 57-56 with just 56 seconds to play.
On the ensuing possession, junior guard Babtiste Bataille found an open Manny Adako underneath the basket. The junior forward converted on a lay-up to put the Huskies back up 58-57 with 25 seconds remaining.
The Huskies defense then held strong as they have all season as Mason was unable to get off a shot on their final possession.
Northeastern improves to 12-6 on the year and 7-1 in the CAA. The loss was George Mason’s first in conference as they fall to 14-4 (7-1 CAA).
NU also moves into a first place tie with the Patriots on top of the CAA. Virginia Commonwealth is also tied with both teams at 7-1.
The win, however, came with heavy hearts as Mason senior John Vaughan suffered an undisclosed injury with 2:12 to play.
Vaughan collapsed while the Huskies were attempting free throws and had to be taken off the court by paramedics.

The injury sent the game into a 25 minute delay.
‘Our thoughts, concerns and prayers are with John Vaughan,’ said head coach Bill Coen. ‘We’re out here playing a game of basketball and sometimes you get caught up in the emotion of the game. That was just a reminder to all of us that this is just a game and there are more important things going on.
The game did however live up to its hype as the teams went back and forth for much of the second half, both making strong plays on both ends of the floor.
Despite the Huskies leading most of the game, Mason continued to battle hard, forcing the Huskies to earn every point.
The Patriots got the lead down to three points, 41-38, before senior forward Matt Smith came up with a three-point shot to give NU a six point lead with 13:27 to go.
Smith finished in double-figures with 11 points, going 3-of-4 from behind the arc.
‘ ‘My confidence has been high lately and guys are getting me the ball in the right spots,’ Smith said. ‘If they happen to go in, they happen to go in; I’ve just been having some good fortune.’
Coen echoed Smith’s thoughts and commented on the senior’s strong play.
‘ ‘He’s playing with that senior urgency both in practice and in games,’ Coen said. ‘He’s a valuable part of this team and at many times guys on the bench can go either one of two directions. He’s never hung his head, he’s been a great teammate and he’s always been there to answer the call.’
‘ ‘ ‘ Junior guard Matt Janning led all scorers with 20 points in the game on 8-of-13 shooting. Senior forward Eugene Spates was the other Husky in double figures as he totaled 10 points on the night.
‘ ‘It’s nice to be back up there [at the top of the standings],’ Janning said. ‘We played well today, I thought we were a little slow after what happened [to Vaughan] but Baptiste drove the lane and made a big play and Manny finished, then we came down, got a stop, and finished with a win.’ ‘ ‘ ‘
The Huskies opened the first half in what has become a usual fashion, leading 10-2 just five minutes into the contest. Junior center Nkem Ojougboh came up with a big block off a lay-up attempt from Mason guard Dre Smith during the run.
‘ Mason was able to get back into the game and trailed by only 4, with less than eight minutes to go in the half, 20-16.
‘ However, Janning continued his hot shooting and was able to get the offense going as NU took a 32-25 lead into the locker room.
The Huskies shot 52 percent on the game while holding the Patriots to 44 percent. Northeastern has now defeated Mason in three straight years at Matthews Arena
‘ Northeastern’s six game winning streak to start CAA play came to an end Saturday at Hofstra (12-7, 4-4 CAA).
The Huskies led 51-50 with 1:47 left but couldn’t hang on and the Pride emerged with a 57-52 win.
Janning led the way with 14 points and seven boards. Adako finished with 13 points on the day.
Guard Charlie Jenkins finished with 23 points for the Pride. He was the only Hofstra player in double digits.
Northeastern will be in action again when it travels to Norfolk, Va.’ to battle Old Dominion’ (11-7, 4-4 CAA) Saturday at 7 p.m.

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