Returning home from a losing stint on the road, the Northeastern men’s basketball team (6-18, 2-11 CAA) entered the Cabot Center hoping for a much-needed win against the William & Mary Tribe (16-9, 7-6 CAA) but were unable to deliver, falling 94-67.
The Tribe lived up to their winning-record, proving to be formidable opponents and holding out a lead that the Huskies could not overcome. With junior guard William Kermoury missing due to an injury, the Huskies had to rely on their young roster and returning players who are finding their rhythm after changes in the lineup.
The game began with a steal from graduate student forward Cade Haskins to send the ball the Tribe’s way, soon opening up their scoring with a dunk by junior forward Tunde Vahlberg Fassai. After another Tribe bucket, senior forward Youri Fritz put the Huskies on the board with a layup.
Defensively, the Huskies’ strategy aimed to hold their opponents down in the paint, but it was not enough to stop the Tribe from pulling away 10-2. Fouls were also an early point of concern for the Huskies, and they racked up three team fouls within the first four minutes of play.
While the Huskies tried to generate energy on the offense, their fast-paced play led to some sloppy possessions. They gave up three turnovers within a two minute window, allowing for a 6-0 Tribe run. At this point, the Huskies were shooting 40% compared to the Tribe’s 80%.
After a scoring drive for the Tribe, sophomore guard Ryan Williams fired up the crowd with a 3-pointer, but Haskins answered quickly with a three of his own to cushion the Tribe with a 15-7 lead.
It was then time for freshman guard Xavier Abreu to begin his spark for the Huskies, as he made a fiery layup in transition and sank a 3-pointer.
Still, W&M maintained a comfortable lead throughout the first half, highlighted by its backdoor cuts.
The Huskies showed some great ball movement down the court, but W&M’s man-to-man coverage and helper defense did not allow for clean finishes. The half concluded with the Tribe leading 45-34; the Huskies had nine fouls and shot 31% from three compared to the Tribe’s 53%.
The Huskies came out of halftime with some life, playing promisingly with a spark of confidence. Northeastern began the second half with Fritz scoring in the paint as the Tribe could not answer the other way.
Stepping on the gas, the Huskies showed some flair with a bounce pass from Abreu to Fritz in the paint, bringing the game within one possession at 47-45. Soon after, sophomore guard Luca Soroa Schaller cashed in a long two to bring the Huskies within two points 49-47.
A contest from freshman forward Ty Francis led to a quick transition and a layup from junior guard Mike Loughnane, breaking 50 points for Northeastern and giving the Huskies some momentum. Sophomore guard and forward Ryan Jackson Jr. answered with a 3-pointer, cushioning the Tribe with a seven-point lead that would soon grow to 15.
From this point forward, the momentum belonged to the Tribe as the Huskies began to lose steam. The depth of the W&M offense led to a balanced scoring effort: Haskins contributed with five 3-pointers and Jackson Jr. and Vahlberg Fasasi reached double digits in scoring.
“They’re a tough team to come from behind on,” head coach Bill Coen said. “The way they defend and the depth of their line up really gives them some versatility to weather those types of storms.”
Fouling was also a concern for the Huskies in the second half. With under six minutes of play remaining, junior guard JB Frankel received a technical foul. Soroa Schaller had also fouled out of the game a few minutes prior.
As the Tribe slowed down the pace in the final stretch of the game, their lead would soon grow to a comfortable 94-67. Despite its efforts at the beginning of the second half, Northeastern was unable to overcome the tight defense and electric, collaborative offense that the Tribe brought on the court. The Huskies also concluded the game with 12 turnovers.
“We struggled to get them down in half court situations. They were in transition all night long, and I thought that was the difference in the game,” Coen said.
While W&M shot 54% from the field to Northeastern’s 42%, they also exceeded the Huskies from behind the arc, shooting 54% to the Huskies 27% and creating many more scoring opportunities. Abreu finished the game with 24 points, but it was the 3-point shooting and backdoor cuts from the Tribe that would hand the team its seventh conference win.
“We’ll see this team again in a couple of weeks, and hopefully we can improve upon them,” Coen said.
The Huskies will play Drexel University (13-13, 7-6 CAA) in Cabot Center Thursday, Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. Northeastern is seeking a win after recently losing 83-78 to the Dragons Jan. 24.
