GREENSBORO, N.C. – Returning from a devastating loss to Elon to open their in-league season, it was time for Northeastern’s men’s basketball team to take control at the other end of the stiff-arm.
After a stellar offensive performance against the Phoenix that fell just short, the Huskies proved to show some vibrancy in their scoring; they entered their battle against the NC A&T Aggies with a point to prove on the defensive end.
As predicted, the Huskies missed forward Xander Alarie, guard Miles Newton, and guard LA Pratt in their lineup due to injuries, forcing head coach Bill Coen to lean on the depth of his ball club’s bench.
A physical game sent the Aggies to the free-throw line 32 times, awarding them with 23 points from fouls, which, despite an incessant occurrence of field-goal droughts, kept the hopes of Greensboro alive.
The Huskies took the first bite, scoring on their opening possession with forward Youri Fritz at the rim, but they couldn’t quite sink their teeth in just yet. On the other end, sophomore forward Amadou Doumbia cleaned up a three-point attempt from sophomore guard Dwayne Pierce, putting the Aggies on the board.
The Huskies’ 2-3 zone gave the Aggies unwanted deja vu from their own season opener against UNCW, and proved to be solid as A&T tried to answer with threes. The game remained close in the early goings as Northeastern led 6-5.
As time progressed, the Aggies would trail by only a few points, the Huskies’ largest lead being four, until redshirt freshman forward Lewis Walker put A&T in front 10-9 from the free throw line. Sophomore guard Ryan Williams soon answered with a three and shut down the only Aggies’ lead in the first half.
Protecting the ball had been the mantra of the match against Elon, and Northeastern showed some great improvement in the A&T first half. Their defense reflected that of their turnovers; by the 13th minute, the Aggies had given up six possessions to the Huskies’ zero. When it was the Huskies’ turn to hand the ball over, they frantically rushed back on defense, encouraging the Aggies to trim their lead to one score.
While the game stayed a bit too close for Northeastern’s comfort, the Huskies’ ball movement kept A&T’s man-to-man coverage stuck in traffic. They concluded the first half 44-36, outscoring the Aggies 18-8 in the paint and shooting 57% overall.
In the latter half of the game, A&T effectively cleaned up their defense, backside coverage, and man-to-man trapping.
For Northeastern, the second half shed light on some familiar faces. As the Huskies tried to hold onto their single-digit lead, guard William Kermoury fired up from downtown. The Swede finished the game with 22 points, shooting 6-for-8 from behind the arc.
Recent breakthrough freshman guard Xavier Abreu also shone with some momentum-shifting layups and drawn fouls, ending an 8-0 run by the Aggies, who had tied the game 46-46. Abreu also ended the game with 22 points.
The game quickly became a brawl of ebbs and flows, both teams wishing to capitalize on the other’s missed opportunities but with no dice.
The Aggies managed to clip the Huskies’ lead to 55-54 — again as a result of slippery defense and turnovers. A&T’s impeccable ball movement allowed the ball to glide across the arc and find Pierce, who scored his only three of the game to give the Aggies their largest lead at 57-55.
However, the game quickly fell back into Northeastern’s control within one possession. As tension increased, redshirt junior center Will Felton drew a flagrant on freshman center Liam Koelsch, who had trapped him with a hook.
Great contesting defense, along with Kermoury’s hot hand, bolstered Northeastern with an eight-point lead with 43 seconds left. It was at this point that Husky fans could actually sit back and relax.
The Aggies were fired up; a technical foul was given against A&T head coach Monté Ross, his first of the season, with under 3 seconds of playtime remaining. Regardless, the Huskies had brought home their first conference win with a score of 85-74.
For the Aggies, Felton created a myriad of opportunities. Shooting was evenly spread as junior guard Trent Middleton Jr. had 16 points, Walker had 14 points, and redshirt sophomore forward Zamoku Weluche-Ume had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Pierce was unexpectedly quiet, only shooting 1-for-9 from the field.
Along with Kermoury and Abreu, many other players helped glue the Huskies together, especially in the first half. Guard Mike Loughnane had four assists, and freshman forward Ty Francis had a couple of fiery blocks.
With several missed and questionable calls that mostly favored the Huskies, this game could have been turned on its head if just a couple of Aggie turnovers had been awarded. The Huskies were able to walk away with a win on their record, but there is much more work to be done on clean-up and ball protection.
For now, all they can do is put the calendar year behind them, learn from their defensive shortcomings, build on this momentum, and hopefully leave their losses in 2025.
Emma Shkurti is a writer and color analyst for WRBB Sports.
Northeastern will play Campbell Saturday, Jan. 3, at 12 p.m., concluding their three-game CAA stint in North Carolina.