By Andrew Parente
Despite holding a lead with just minutes left in the game, Northeastern was unable to hold off Hofstra, and dropped the game 70-65 Saturday at Matthews Arena.
Hofstra senior guard Antoine Agudio scored a game high 32 points. He also went 11 of 17 from the floor including five of eight from three point range. He also made some clutch shots toward the end of the game to secure the win for the Pride.
“This was an extremely hard fought game and Antoine Agudio was the difference,” said head coach Bill Coen. “Obviously he is a player of the year candidate; he has tremendous experience, carried them and gave them the will to win.”
For the Huskies, sophomore captain Matt Janning led the way with 17 points. He was held to just five points in the first half, but came back, and was able to shoot the ball better in the second half.
Hofstra’s defense gave Northeastern problems throughout the first half as the Huskies had only six points with just more than eight minutes to play in the half.
They struggled to get inside the Pride’s zone defense and were unable to get to the foul line in the half.
Northeastern picked it up toward the end of the half and posted 27 percent from the floor. Hofstra shot 40 percent, which included 16 points from Agudio.
“We were a little tentative against the zone and we really didn’t get inside of it,” Coen said. “We didn’t get to the [free throw] line at all in the first half and as a result we took a lot of jump shots.”
The first half came to a close as Hofstra was able to convert on a three and took a 30-22 lead into the locker room.
Northeastern came out and shot the ball better in the second half, improving its shooting percentage from 27.3 in the first half to 44.4.
Freshman Vinny Lima had his strongest game since joining the Huskies. He made three shots from behind the arc, two coming in the second half.
One of Lima’s threes, which came at the 15 minute mark of the second half, cut the Pride’s lead to one. From that point, the teams traded baskets until the Huskies were able to take their first lead with a little less than nine minutes to play.
Sophomore Manny Adako went up for a layup but was fouled and headed to the free throw line for two attempts. He converted on both shots to give NU a 52-50 lead.
However, the lead was short lived, as Hofstra was able to get back on top with Agudio leading the way.
Northeastern continued to play strong down the stretch but was unable to pull away. Janning hit a three with less than five minutes to play and gave the Huskies a 63-61 lead.
However, Agudio once again proved to be the difference in the contest as he tallied a few more points with less than a minute to play.
“We really tried anything we could to defend him,” Coen said. “He just had one of those days and you just have to tip your hat to him.”
Hofstra held a slim 68-65 lead with less than 30 seconds to play and Northeastern had possession of the ball with a chance to tie.
The Huskies got the ball to Janning, who shot a three, but the shot bounced off the iron. Hofstra then converted on two more free throws to secure the win.
Following the loss, Northeastern fell to 7-12 (3-6 Colonial Athletic Association) while Hofstra improved to 5-13 (3-6 CAA).
Sophomore center Nkem Ojougboh continued his strong play for the Huskies as he tallied 13 points in the game. Ojougboh has recorded double-digit points in 11 of his last 12 games.
The Huskies return to action Wednesday when they go on the road to take on Delaware at 7 p.m. They will return home Feb. 6 to take on Old Dominion at Matthews Arena at 7 p.m.
