Northeastern men’s basketball (3-3, 0-0 CAA) had a mixed weekend, starting with a loss to Princeton University Tigers (3-3, 0-0 Ivy League) 70-57 Nov 21. This was the Huskies’ second loss in a row, following a defeat to University of Vermont Nov 15. The Huskies then beat the Duquesne University Dukes (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic 10) 93-86 Nov. 22 on neutral ground in Akron, Ohio.
Princeton opened the game with a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jack Stanton in the first minute. The game was scoreless for two minutes before the Tigers netted again with another three-pointer, this time from junior guard Dalen Davis.
A Princeton foul sent senior forward Youri Fritz to the line, where he sank both shots. The score was 6-2 for the Tigers after five minutes of play.
The game saw offensive mistakes from both sides, with several minutes-long stretches where neither team scored. The Tigers were sharper in defense, ending the first half with a 13-point lead at 33-20.
The Huskies shooting was poor, with only 30.8% of field goals made, and none of the six three-pointer attempts scored. The Tigers were levels above, with 42.9% of their field goals and 55.6% of their three-pointers scored. The Tigers also went 100% from the line in the first half.
The Huskies remained determined, shooting a significantly improved 42.4% and limiting Princeton to 35.3% in the second period of play.
Redshirt freshman forward Xander Alarie and freshman guard Xavier Abreu combined for a 6-0 run in the second half to cut the deficit to 11 points. The Tigers quickly responded with Dalen completing a three-point play.
The teams traded shots, but Princeton was able to stabilize the gap at around 11 points despite its worsened shooting. A Husky foul saw Princeton at the line for two with 40 seconds left to play. Junior forward Jacob Huggins scored both, bringing the final gap to 13 points.
Despite the loss, there were positives to take from the game. Fritz recorded his fifth double digit scoring game of the season. Abreu had a standout performance as the highest scorer of the game with 17 points.
The Huskies were much improved against Duquesne, with three players scoring in the double digits, including graduate student forward Haris Elezovic. He returned from injury with a double-double, scoring 17 points and recording 10 rebounds.
Abreu almost doubled his points from the previous game and was once again the highest scorer in the matchup with 32 points. This was 13 points more than the Dukes’ highest scorer, senior guard Tarence Guinyard. Abreu scored 21 points in the second half to lead the Huskies to victory.
The first half was played end to end with neither team able to pull out a large gap over the other. The Huskies shot 80% from the line, significantly better than the 61.1% against Princeton. The Huskies were up 41-38 at the half.
Shooting was also much better overall, up to 55.2% from the 37.3% of the last game. Again, the Huskies were stronger in the second period of play, scoring 58.6%, up from 51.7% in the first half. The Dukes were marginally sharper, shooting 60% in the second half.
Northeastern’s bench was heavily involved, scoring 60 points, with 41 coming in the second half.
The Dukes put up a good fight, matching the Huskies in the number of field goals and three pointers scored. But their defense was left wanting more, recording only one block through the game.
Northeastern played a stable game, only conceding the lead twice with the largest deficit at three points. Slightly better shooting and a more active defense by the Huskies made the difference in the game as they took a 93-86 win.
Northeastern will face the Wake Forest Deacons (4-2, 0-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) Friday, Nov 28 at 12 p.m. in the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in North Carolina.
