Northeastern men’s basketball (1-1, 0-0 CAA) came back from an eight-point deficit to win against the Colgate University Raiders (0-2, 0-0 Patriot League) 68-65 Nov. 7.
The win was the Huskies’ first of the season, bringing them to .500 after a tough loss to Boston University Nov. 3.
The Huskies had an energetic start, going on a 7-0 run to begin the game. The Raiders ended a scoreless two minutes by going on their own 7-0 run, bringing the gap to two points with a score of 11-9 to the Huskies.
The Raiders were able to build leverage on free throws, shooting 87.5% from the line during the first half of play. Overall, Colgate’s shooting was levels over the Huskies in the first period of play.
The Raiders made 40.6% of their field goals taken in the first half and 20% of their three-pointers, compared to the Huskies’ 32.3% field goal and 16.7% three-point percentages.
Both teams were evenly matched in terms of attempts, but the Huskies were unable to fully capitalize on their attacking ability. Colgate entered the break with an eight-point lead, with the score at 27-35.
The Huskies were unruffled, improving their field goal percentage by around 32.3% to 46.4% in the second period. The Raiders were unable to gain any significant improvements, shooting 40.7% in the second half.
Northeastern was also significantly better at the line, making 76.5% of its free throws in the second half. This proved to be pivotal, as the Huskies carved out a slim three-point lead to win the game.
Senior forward Youri Fritz improved on his career-high 15 points from the game against BU and scored 21 points for a new personal record.
Redshirt freshman forward Xander Alarie recorded his first college double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds — the most rebounds of any player that night.
In addition to Fritz and Alarie, senior guard LA Pratt and freshman guard Miles Newton recorded double figures in points, with 13 and 10 points, respectively.
The Huskies will take on Harvard University (2-0, 0-0 Ivy League) Nov. 11 at Lavietes Pavilion before returning home for the team’s final game in the historic Matthews Arena to play the Vermont Catamounts (3-0, 0-0 America East) Nov. 15.
