By Gavin Davis, news correspondent
In a weekend full of Husky hoops, the Northeastern University (NU) men’s basketball team went 2-1 in a three-game series as a part of the Men Against Breast Cancer Challenge.
Northeastern began the tournament with a pair of victories over the Florida Atlantic University (FAU) Owls and the Lipscomb University Bison before being bested by the Miami University of Ohio Redhawks in the tournament finale.
The Huskies narrowly edged out the FAU Owls in exciting fashion in a 60-58 victory, winning on a dunk by senior guard David Walker with two seconds remaining.
Walker, an Ohio native, made his return to his home state with the game-winner, along with 19 points. Senior guard Zach Stahl posted a stat line of 20 points and 11 rebounds, the first 20-point game and third double-double of his Husky career.
Redshirt senior forward Quincy Ford also contributed to the Huskies’ offense, adding 16 points along with five rebounds and a perfect performance from the free throw line.
Walker continued his success the next day, scoring 30 points in a 79-67 victory over Lipscomb. His 30-point performance was the first of any NU player since Matt Janning put up 34 at the University of Rhode Island on Nov. 28, 2007.
Walker finished with 11-of-16 shooting and 5-of-10 on 3-pointers, along with with a season-high six assists.
Ford tallied 18 points and crashed the boards for a career-high 19 rebounds, the highest number of rebounds by a Husky since Steve Carney pulled down 20 at Providence College nearly 25 years ago.
The double-double was Ford’s fifth in his Northeastern career, continuing his streak of double-digit scoring in every game of the season while also adding a career high-tying four blocks.
The Northeastern Huskies took their first loss of the tournament and the season, 67-61, to tournament host, Miami.
The Redhawks took a 47-45 lead in the second half, and despite the Huskies tying the game up numerous times, the game ended with a 67-61 loss for Northeastern.
Although the Huskies were unable to win in the finale, Walker continued his spree of scoring with 21 points. He averaged 23.3 points during his play in Oxford and was named the All-Tournament Team MVP. Ford also earned all-tournament team honors.
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics.
