By: Justin Littman
BOSTON- After a disappointing 78-60 loss to William & Mary on Saturday, Northeastern was looking to get back on track at home. Unfortunately for the Huskies, James Madison had other ideas. Led by senior guard Ron Curry, James Madison took a 42-27 lead into the half and never looked back.
“He (Curry) is playing as well as anybody in the league right now” said Northeastern coach Bill Coen after the game. Curry finished the game with 22 points on 7-12 shooting. Still, the Dukes had plenty of other contributors, with four other players scoring at least nine points.
Northeastern started the game off strong, taking a quick 5-0 lead on two baskets from Jeremy Miller. The fun stopped shortly after, however, as the Dukes caught fire in the first half. They shot 67% from the field and 64% from behind the arc. Curry and junior guard Shakir Brown combined to make their first five three point attempts of the half.
Despite the hot start by the Dukes, Northeastern managed to claw back. The Huskies continuously got to the free throw line in the second half and showed plenty more aggression on the offensive end. After the Huskies cut the lead to 61-55 with 8:10 remaining, James Madison guard Jackson Kent hit a three pointer in the right corner to stop the momentum.
“Jackson’s shot is really one that gave us confidence…It’s a dagger, I thought that shot was a dagger,” commented JMU coach Matt Brady after the game.
It was the closest the Huskies would get the rest of the game.
It was yet another game where it seemed like nothing could fall for Northeastern. As a team they shot 5-27 from three point range, and the Huskies simply could not get the lid off the rim. Regardless, they were getting good looks.
“We were running our offense and guys were getting shots, but we just didn’t make them,” said Coen.”
It was another tough loss for Northeastern, but there were some positives to be drawn from this game. Most importantly, David Walker was able to rediscover his shooting touch in the second half. After scoring single-digits each of his last three games, Walker heated up in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points on 3-5 shooting. T.J. Williams also looked good in the second half, as he was aggressive and created shots for himself and his teammates. The leading scorer for the Huskies was Jeremy Miller with 19 points.
Northeastern is now 11-7 on the season and 3-2 in CAA play. Their next game is this Saturday at 2 p.m. when they will take a trip to Delaware to face the Blue Hens. They defeated Delaware last Thursday, 88-56.