By Patrick McHugh, News Staff
RICHMOND, Va. – Surrounded by a sea of rabid fans wearing black and gold attire, the men’s basketball team had the unenviable task of trying to defeat Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Saturday night in order to extend their season.
Though the Huskies hung tough with the Rams and entered halftime tied at 26, a season-high 25 turnovers did Northeastern in. The squad fell 76-65 in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Virginia 529 College Savings Plan Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Men’s Basketball Championship at the Richmond Coliseum. Northeastern ends its 2011-12 campaign at 14-17.
Northeastern trailed by as many as nine in the early minutes of the game, but held VCU scoreless over the final 6:15 of the opening half and knotted the score. Three turnovers in the first three minutes of the second half set the tone for what would be a difficult half for NU. The Rams shot 51.7 percent from the floor in the second half and hit six three-pointers to build a lead as large as 21 points with 7:24 to play.
“We kind of let the game get away from us in the second half,” Northeastern head coach Bill Coen said. “I thought we played a very competitive first half and kept the tempo where we’re comfortable, and then in the second half I felt we had way too many turnovers.”
Sophomore guard Rob Brandenberg, who had a game-high 19 points, led VCA (26-6 overall) in scoring. Freshman guard Treveon Graham chipped in 16 for the Rams while senior guard Bradford Burgess had 10.
The Huskies staged a late rally after being down 21 points with 7:23 to play. An 11-3 scoring spurt helped cut the lead to 13 points with 3:18 remaining and eventually that margin was narrowed to eight with 1:10 on the clock. Despite missing 17 of 31 free throws, VCU held on for the victory and advanced to the tournament semifinals.
“I was proud of my team that they hung in there,” Coen said. “When it got to 20 it could have easily gone the other way, but we hung in there and battled right to the end.”
Freshman guard Quincy Ford, who scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the season, led the Huskies in scoring.
“They’re a big team so I try to use my size and my height and put a body on somebody at all times,” said Ford, who is six-foot eight-inches. “I try to bang with them as best as I could.”
Junior captain forwards Joel Smith and Jonathan Lee had 17 points and 16 points respectively for the Huskies.
The Huskies will lose only one player next year – forward Kashief Edwards, a graduate student who joined Northeastern this season after playing three seasons and graduating from Niagara University. The rest of the team is expected to return, including junior forward Dinko Marshavelski, who missed the season with a foot injury.
“I know [the players] are all in different ways looking forward to next season and coming back stronger, closer and more experienced,” Coen said.
Ford, who was named to the CAA’s All-Rookie team at Thursday’s award banquet, said he is already anxious to start working towards next season.
“It’s been a wonderful experience here my freshman year,” Ford said. “I’m around a group of good guys … I try to play this game as if I was a senior because I know the four years goes by real quick. You have to play with a real sense of urgency every game. We came up short, but next year we’ll be back at it even harder.”
