BOSTON – As Nolan Hodge strode up to the line, his 80% free throw percentage in tow, the energy crammed into the intimate Cabot Center began to dissipate. By the time the senior guard sank his third consecutive free throw, its red bleachers began to empty.
Playing host inside the Cabot Center for just the second time this season, Northeastern struggled to make its new house a home in an 87-78 defeat against UNC Wilmington.
The Seahawks ultimately prevailed in a back-and-forth affair which witnessed 15 lead changes and 13 stalemates, before they powered a late surge by continuing a performance which saw them make 30 of 34 efforts from the free throw line.
The Huskies took advantage of early vacancies beyond the arc with two quick William Kermoury threes to kick off the game, and put together a productive first half with a speedy offense keen on capitalizing on opportunities early in possession. Productive as the scoring may have been, Northeastern’s defense struggled to contain a patient UNCW team that was content to wait out the shot clock and work the ball to 7’0” junior center Pat Wessler.
To make an uphill battle even steeper, the Huskies felt the effects of recently injured freshman forward Xander Alarie’s absence on the glass, ending the night with just 29 rebounds to UNCW’s 41 and conceding 13 second-chance points on the evening.
“They’re one of the best rebounding teams in the country,” Northeastern head coach Bill Coen said. “We put them to the line a little bit too often and they got a little too many second-chance points.”
Even still, the Huskies entered the halftime break only trailing by a pair of buckets against a consensus Coastal Athletic Association contender.
The two teams entered the break to the tune of a 44-40 Seahawk advantage. When the curtains parted for the second act, Northeastern and UNCW traded buckets in sequences of call-and-response possessions.
With 4:37 to play in the latter frame, the two sides were squared at 68 points apiece. Hodge had just cashed in pocket aces from the line to level the score and interrupt Youri Fritz’s 16-point second half.
“I just kept telling them ‘We’ve got to will our way to get this win,’” UNCW head coach Takayo Siddle said. “In that last 4:37, I told them our championship DNA needed to kick in, and that’s exactly what happened. We got stops [and] we had quality offensive possessions to finish the game.”
Siddle’s team entered Thursday’s contest having been tested on several occasions, erasing deficits of 11 points or greater in three comeback victories on the season.
That ability showed itself when it mattered most Thursday. The result?
Siddle’s self-described team brand: “Winning basketball.”
The Seahawks grafted their way to victory, chipping away with five Hodge free throws to step into a 73-68 lead. Freshman Ty Francis’ own two efforts from the charity stripe lessened the deficit for Northeastern, but a Hodge three pointer with 2:19 remaining alongside an additional seven free throws and a Noah Ross layup mixed in effectively put the game out of reach.
“I thought we played extremely hard,” Coen said, referring to his team scrapping through a spell of nearly 14 minutes where neither team held a lead larger than three points. “We’ve got to find a way to clean up. There’s always a four minute segment, whether we’re playing Syracuse, Wake Forest or UNCW where we mishandled that segment and the game slipped away.”
For Coen, there are positives to take away while working to get a complete 40 minutes from his team. For one, the Huskies demonstrated a growing confidence in the offensive half of the court, finding ways to feed the big man Fritz and adding 33 points off the bench in what featured as a one-possession game for extended periods.
Defensively, the team will need to lean on its already-thin bench to get stops in close games, which will likely be a common scenario in conference play.
“Our younger players are getting more experienced and getting more comfortable in the system,” said Coen. “Some of the young players are growing and they’re able to make plays – [they] turn into conference players in January and they’re no longer freshmen.”
Coen will hope his group continues to mature as the Huskies return to conference play promptly, hosting the Towson Tigers Saturday at 2 p.m.
Chase Alexander is a writer and broadcaster with WRBB Sports. Check out his personal portfolio here and feel free to follow him on Linkedin and X (Twitter).