BOSTON — There’s an old saying in sports: the best ability is availability.
For a variety of reasons, Northeastern has been unable to harness that ability through the first eight games of their season. Extended absences for Masai Troutman, William Kermoury, and Alex Nwagha among others, had resulted in some incomplete performances even as the Huskies had scrapped their way to a 5-3 record.
It was fitting, then, that Northeastern’s first fully healthy game of the season came at home on the heels of a five-game road stretch which spanned 2,000 miles and crossed international boundaries. And, while the ensuing result didn’t always feel certain, the Huskies turned in a complete, team performance in a 82-68 win over the La Salle Explorers.
It’s always special when a coach of Fran Dunphy’s stature visits Northeastern; the La Salle skipper entered Tuesday with 617 NCAA wins, and began coaching at the Division 1 level in 1971. Fascinatingly enough, the Philadelphia basketball legend actually spent three years heading the program at Malvern Prep High School, Ryan Williams’s alma mater.
Northeastern came out looking like a team hell-bent on keeping Dunphy’s mark at 617. The Huskies leapt out to a 10-0 lead, mostly by virtue of Collin Metcalf’s six early points. Kermoury’s return to action was instantly a welcome one; although only credited with one assist, the Swede’s playmaking ability played a noteworthy role in all three of Metcalf’s opening baskets.
The remainder of the first half plodded along, springing to action at times, but ultimately becoming a war of attrition of which neither side seemed particularly interested in winning. An 8-0 run gave the Huskies a 20-6 lead with a touch over 11 minutes remaining, but sloppy play prevented them from extending the lead much further. Bill Coen’s Huskies, who have made a pointed effort to minimize turnovers, committed a staggering 11 in the frame. These continuous shots to their own feet would eventually catch up to them, as a 7-0 Explorer run whittled Northeastern’s lead to just 31-27 at the break.
Statistics don’t always tell the full story, but they painted a pretty clear picture of the first half. Northeastern shot 54% from the field; La Salle shot just 29%. However, the Huskies committed 11 turnovers, did not attempt a free throw, and made just one three-pointer in the half, all while allowing the Explorers to secure eight offensive rebounds. As a result, a game that felt like Northeastern was dominating carried just a four-point margin into the intermission.
Both sides traded buckets at the outset of the second half; star La Salle guard Corey McKeithan began to heat up, but important baskets from LA Pratt, Rashad King, and Harold Woods allowed Northeastern to maintain pole position, albeit narrowly. Moments later, a four-point possession capped by a JB Frankel three sparked a 10-0 Husky run, but a ninety-second, 11-0 Explorers response sliced the deficit right back to one with 10:26 to play.
We’ve mentioned it before, but long scoring droughts have been something of a calling card for recent Bill Coen teams. With Tuesday’s game teetering in the balance, and La Salle surging, you could be forgiven for feeling like one of those droughts was imminent.
It wasn’t to be.
Back-to-back Troutman threes helped open the lead back to nine, and while the Explorers cut the lead back to four, Northeastern just kept on scoring. Finally, with 4:55 remaining, and the score 65-61, the Huskies embarked on a three-minute, 9-0 spurt to push the game out of reach. From there, it was window dressing; both teams traded free throws, but the result was decided. When the curtain came down, the score read Northeastern 82, La Salle 68.
Again, Tuesday was the first game where Northeastern had their full arsenal at their disposal, and it showed. Nine players played eight or more minutes, and all nine scored. The Huskies recorded 26 bench points, a remarkably encouraging sign for a team with legitimate depth questions just a week ago.
From an individual standpoint, King once again carried the load offensively, recording 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Woods and Troutman chipped in considerably as well, notching 17 points each. Defensively, it was the Collin Metcalf show; the junior big man notched six blocks and a steal to pair with his nine points and 10 rebounds in just 18 minutes, a startling statline which somehow almost understates his impact on the game.
“We came out and set the tone early, and I thought Metcalf did a good job of that… really asserted himself on both ends of the floor, got us off to a great start,” remarked Coen. “Great energy [from the team] on the defensive side of the ball… good to get a couple guys back who were out with injury, overall, a great night.”
Youri Fritz played the final ten minutes of the game in place of Metcalf. While his statistical contributions were minor, the junior forward played excellent defense and allowed the offense to move more freely.
“We needed somebody who’s used to guarding guys on the perimeter, and [Fritz] does that well for us,” Coen said. “When they’re going smaller, sometimes that happens.”
La Salle’s stars performed; McKeithan finished with 21 points and senior guard Daeshon Shepherd recorded 18. Contributions elsewhere were marginal, though, and the Explorers finished with just nine team assists, underscoring just how potent Northeastern’s defense was. The Explorers had turnover issues as well, ending at 17 – a high mark which Coach Dunphy will undoubtedly press on moving forward.
Northeastern will look to build on Tuesday’s shooting performance, in which they canned eight threes at a 42% clip. This bunch has struggled to consistently convert three-point shots, but Troutman’s growing role and Kermoury’s return give some reason to believe tonight’s showing is replicable. You’d have to hope so – the shooting bump allowed the Huskies to crack 80 points for just the third time this season, and snapped a four-game streak in which they failed to break 65.
Northeastern will turn their attention to Sunday’s home matinee against struggling Colgate, while La Salle will head to the Wells Fargo Center for a matchup with crosstown rivals St. Joe’s on Saturday.
The 6-3 Huskies will be back in action when the Colgate Raiders come to town on Sunday, with tip-off set for 2 p.m. Jacob Phillips and Jordan Walsh will have the call live from historic Matthews Arena on WRBB 104.9 FM.