By Jared Shafran
NORFOLK – After a strong start in the first half, the men’s basketball team fell to the Old Dominion Monarchs by a score of 70-58 in Norfolk, Va. yesterday.
The Huskies were led on offense by sophomore guard Matt Janning who scored 14 points. This was Janning’s 16 consecutive game scoring in double figures, which is the longest streak in the CAA this season.
The Huskies came into the second half leading by six, but the Monarchs came out with a surplus of energy to take control of the game.
Led by freshman Ben Finney, and senior Brandon Johnson, the Monarchs stepped up their game both offensively and defensively.
Finney led the Monarchs with a career high 20 points, shooting 8-13 from the floor. He single handedly kept the Monarchs in the game during the first half. When the rest of the team was struggling,
Johnson, who finished with 12 points of his own, also had four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The game had many momentum changes in the first half. The Huskies came out quickly by opening up a 12-3 lead to start the game. Then Finney responded, scoring eight consecutive points in a three minute span.
On a three pointer by Chaisson Allen, the Huskies were able to regain their nine point advantage with eight minutes left in the opening half. But just as quickly as they had before, the Monarchs went on a 10-0 run, which was capped off by four straight points from their leading scorer, Gerald Lee.
The Huskies ended the half with a barrage of three-pointers coming again from Allen and sophomore forward Eugene Spates. Nkem Ojougboh finished the half with a tremendous dunk.
Other than Janning, the Huskies had three other players who were in double figures for the game, Ojougboh, Spates and Allen each scored 11 points.
Ojougboh had a good low post presence for the Huskies during most of the game and was able to convert on multiple opportunities around the basket.
Spates was the spark for the Huskies in the first half, scoring all of his points in the early going. Spates knocked down three 3-pointers in a matter of minutes and was largely the reason for the Huskies’ early lead. Spates also played well on the defensive end, coming up with a steal and two blocks.
“We really played a complete first half,” said head coach Bill Coen.
The Monarchs went on an 18-4 run in the second half and for the most part, the Huskies could not catch up. In the end, it was too little, too late for Northeastern and Old Dominion was able to use its speed to make key steals and run the ball down the court before the Huskies could realize what hit them.
Using a 3-2 defense, the Monarchs did not allow the Huskies to get inside.
“We had trouble getting it into the middle,” Janning said. “I think our guards started playing tentatively.”
Sophomore forward Manny Adako was mostly a non-factor during the game, getting into foul trouble early and sitting the bench for most of the second half.
“Manny is our primary low post presence,” Coen said. “That was a key element that we lost without him.”
It was Senior Night for Old Dominion and all four of their seniors were in the starting lineup. The crowd was energized and ready to go for the game, filling most of the seats in the newly constructed Ted Constant Convention Center.
With this most recent loss, the Huskies’ record drops to 12-16 (8-9). Old Dominion on the other hand, improved its record to 17-13 (11-6). The Monarchs have now been victorious in a season high six straight, while the Huskies have lost four in a row.
After the loss, the Huskies dropped to seventh place in the CAA. With one more game to go in the regular season, the Huskies have locked up a finish no lower than eighth in the conference, and can finish as high as sixth.
The Huskies will look to rebound and end their losing streak against the George Mason Patriots on Senior Day at Matthews Arena Saturday. The contest will begin at 2 p.m.
