By Jake Sauberman, deputy sports editor
It was bound to happen eventually: After extending its winning streak to eight games with a win over Drexel University, 92-75, the Northeastern University (NU) men’s basketball team finally fell to Towson University, 67-74. The split week left the Huskies at 5-1 within the Colonial Athletic Association and 12-6 overall.
The win against Drexel on Jan. 12 highlighted Northeastern’s scoring depth. Five players registered 14-plus points and shot efficiently enough to combine for a 60.7 percent clip from the field. The offense was led by senior guard TJ Williams, whose 30 points increased his first place lead on the CAA’s top scorers list.
Along with chipping in seven assists and eight rebounds, Williams went 10-11 from the free throw line. Shooting 75.8 percent from the line on the season, Williams remains one of the few Huskies who can knock down free throws efficiently. The rest of the team combined for 2-10 from the free throw line against Drexel, resembling something from an elementary school pickup game.
On the positive side of the impressive win, the Huskies got great production out of their role players. Yes, Williams and senior forward Alex Murphy provided the basis for the offensive firepower as usual, but it’s on nights where the supporting cast fill around them when NU is most dangerous. Junior guard Devon Begley recorded 16 points and a career-high nine assists, and freshman guard Shawn Occeus knocked down all four of his three-point attempts en route to 14 points of his own.
“[Williams and Murphy] have been the cornerstones and the foundation for our team […] and then we’re getting contributions from various guys on different nights, and I thought Max [Boursiquot] was outstanding,” head coach Bill Coen said.
Indeed, it was freshman forward Max Boursiquot who stood out off the bench for the Huskies. On a 7-7 shooting night, Boursiquot scored 17 points with a surprising 11 rebounds. This was all in 24 minutes of work, a number that surely would have been higher if not for three early fouls. While a prolonged stretch on the bench would usurp the energy from most players, Boursiquot managed to keep his hard-nosed rebounding effort going throughout the game.
“Just got to stay positive,” Boursiquot said, unable to hide a youthful grin. “Things like that are going to happen, just got to keep providing energy.”
Undersized at the power forward position at 6 foot 5, the freshman’s unique and energetic playstyle gives Coen some flexibility to play small without sacrificing rebounding prowess.
“We’re much quicker,” Boursiquot said of the effectiveness of playing alongside Murphy in the frontcourt. “We’re able to handle and create space for others.”
The small-ball lineup led Northeastern to a high-octane 92-75 win. Even with the victory, Coen was still able to find room for improvement for his team.
“We were sharing the ball pretty well, but we were a little disappointed in our defensive effort,” he said.
It wasn’t the defense that ended the Huskies’ eight-game winning streak, however. Rather, it was a combination of offensive sloppiness and, of course, free throw shooting. Dropping the 67-74 bout against Towson University, NU just couldn’t take care of the ball. On a night when the team shot 53.5 percent from the field and 46.7 percent from deep, it seemed all the Huskies had to do on a given possession was put up a shot.
But that proved a tough task, as the team managed just six assists across the course of the game versus 15 turnovers. The 14-22 effort from the line didn’t help matters either, as those points could have played a big role in a close game.
Despite the team’s frustrating play on a hot-shooting night, Coen understands it’s important to recognize the talent of the opposition.
“[Towson is] a really good team,” Coen said. “We were fortunate enough to start out our conference schedule at home. They on the other hand have played a lot of conference road games. I don’t care who you’re playing, it’s tough to win on the road.”
Photo by Jerry Yu
