By: Dan McLoone
Returning to Matthews Arena after a long North Carolina road trip, Northeastern rode hot starts in both halves and continued to pile on the points in an 88-56 blowout of Delaware. Eleven players scored as Northeastern logged 25 assists on 31 baskets, treating their home fans to a resounding victory in which they never trailed.
“It was a long road trip,” said Northeastern head coach Bill Coen. “We were on the road for eight days or so and guys were excited to get back. They know what time it is. They know it’s conference time and each and every game can make a difference in the league race so they wanted to take care of business at home.”
Freshman Jeremy Miller led the way for the Huskies, registering a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Quincy Ford added 13 points and seven rebounds. Eight Huskies logged at least seven points, and three different players registered at least five assists.
Leading 6-4 in the opening three minutes, Northeastern proceeded to go on a 15-0 run to push the lead to 17. Quincy Ford led the charge, scoring 7 of his points on the day in the opening 12 minutes. The Huskies went into the locker room with a 44-21 lead, as Zach Stahl hit a floater at the buzzer on a broken play.
Northeastern came out strong once again in the second half, opening with a 12-0 run to push the lead to a game-high 35. Delaware’s scrappy play and great shooting from deep throughout the second frame routinely brought them back to within 20, but Northeastern’s bench kept them from pulling any closer. The Huskies bench outscored Delaware’s 37-3, with Zach Stahl and Caleb Donnelly each chipping in nine and Brandon Kamga adding eight.
“We were sharing the basketball,” said Coen. “We got contributions from everybody…We want to continue to develop our bench. One of the keys for us is to make sure our freshman continue to get better.””
After holding Delaware point guard Kory Holden scoreless last season’s scoreless in the first half, the CAA Rookie of the Year runner-up from last season exploded in the second half. Holden, who had a monster 20-point performance in the CAA Tournament loss to the Huskies last year, poured in four triples and finished with 14 points and six assists.
“We knew he’s a good player, and you’re not gonna hold him down the whole game,” said Coen. “I thought we closed out on him a little soft a few times.”
Northeastern improved to 11-5 on the year and now sits atop the CAA at 3-0. The Blue Hens dropped to 5-9 and remain winless in conference play. The Huskies will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to William & Mary.