BOSTON, MA — The future of Matthews Arena is admittedly up in the air.
For 44 long years, the old barn has played a very gracious host to Northeastern men’s basketball. While the red and black will grace the historic building for at least part of one more season, you don’t want to take things for granted.
Thursday was the last time this iteration of the Huskies would play at Matthews Arena, though. As is custom, the last home game of the season was dubbed as Senior Night, giving fans, families, and onlookers one final opportunity to shower Northeastern’s seniors (Alex Nwagha, Sam Thomson, and Nate Francois) in love and adoration. And, when the festivities gave way to the game itself, these Huskies gave both their seniors (forever) and Matthews (for the season) a send-off in the most ideal way possible: with a resounding victory over the visiting North Carolina A&T Aggies.
It wasn’t dominant, but Northeastern survived a somewhat lackluster first half to take the upper hand in the second, ultimately rolling to a 69-55 final. Rashad King led the way with 25 points, and LA Pratt, JB Frankel, and William Kermoury chipped in with nine apiece.
The home side slogged through the first half, often struggling to gain separation from the upstart Aggies. Though A&T entered at just 7-22 overall, they had won three of their last four and seemed poised at times throughout the opening stanza to mold the Huskies into their fourth win in five tries.
They might’ve succeeded if not for King; the junior guard poured in 17 of his 25 in the opening frame, including three-of-five from beyond the arc. It was a nice bounceback for King, who entered Thursday’s contest having been held under 16 points for two games in a row for only the second time in conference play.
Unlike some other games this season, there was no signature King flurry. Instead, the Georgia native simply stayed calm, composed, and consistent, scoring whenever his team needed him but rarely forcing the issue. His biggest spurt came with just a tick over two minutes remaining in the half; King spearheaded a 9-2 run with two triples, flipping what had been a one-point Aggie cushion to a six-point Husky margin. The second of those two came with an added bonus — namely, A&T’s Bryson Ogletree crashing into King as his right-wing three splashed through the net. The ensuing free throw met the same fate, giving Northeastern the rare boost of a four-point play.
“I’m really proud of Rashad,” said head coach Bill Coen. “It’s hard to put into a couple of sentences… he’s grown so much as a player, as a man, as a leader. Everybody respects him… it’s because of his consistency every day, he [tries to get better] every day… he’s a pleasure to coach, [and] I think there’s more to come.”
NU carried just a 34-30 lead into the break, but after an Ogletree layup sliced that gap to two with 14:51 remaining, it was another King three that spurred his Huskies forward. King’s fifth and final three of the evening sparked an 8-0 run to grab a commanding 47-37 advantage.
That’d all but do the trick — A&T would pull within eight on multiple occasions, but Northeastern kept the Aggies at bay.
After a quiet first half, Frankel sprung to life in the back nine, scoring all of his nine points after halftime. None of his buckets were particularly game-changing in terms of time-and-score importance, but his steady hand — and three triples — played a big role in steering the Huskies out of choppy seas and into the win column.
Elsewhere, Sam Thomson got his first start for Northeastern; the graduate forward scored four points, including a pretty baseline jumper early in the first half. Defensively, he more than held his ground against A&T’s Nikolaos Chitikoudis, who gave every other Husky defender problems all night long.
“It was all about Senior Night, but I thought he matched up well with their size,” said Coen. “I thought he could really help us on the court, with the matchup [against Chitikoudis], and also I thought he earned his name called in the starting lineup.”
Additionally, Thursday marked a return to the lineup for Youri Fritz, who made his first appearance since spraining his foot at Elon on February 1. The Dutchman played just 10 minutes, but moved well and showcased the defensive versatility that makes him so invaluable to this team.
Masai Troutman did not have the same luck. In a year plagued by injuries, his latest — a hamstring issue — has kept him sidelined since January 18 at Charleston. After a preseason All-CAA Second Team selection, Troutman’s played in just 13 games this season, and his status for the final regular season game and beyond remains unclear.
“I’m hopeful, but not overly optimistic [about Troutman playing this season],” said Coen. “He’s chomping at the bit to play, but we’ll let the medical people decide.”
There isn’t much season left; the Huskies only have one game left on the regular-season slate, a Saturday clash with the surprising William & Mary Tribe. It’ll be a quick turnaround — after an early-morning Friday practice, Coen’s guys will hop on a flight to southeastern Virginia, where they’ll undergo their final tune-up before next weekend’s all-important CAA Tournament.
But that’s tomorrow. For tonight, they’ll bid Matthews farewell for 2024-25. Fittingly, they’ll do it on a high note — a note where Sam Thomson wears a wry smile, Alex Nwagha grins ear-to-ear, and Nate Francois dribbles out a much-needed win amidst a cacophony of cheers nearly drowning out the final buzzer.
Matthews Arena, we hardly knew ye…
Ah, who am I kidding. I’ll spare you the dramatics, because we’ll do this same dance again next season. Doesn’t year 45 have a nice ring to it?
Northeastern will finish their regular season slate Saturday when they head to Williamsburg, Virginia to face William & Mary. Jacob Phillips will have your call from the lesser Commonwealth, with tip set for 2 p.m. on WRBB Sports.