For better or worse, Northeastern games have developed a script.
Both teams tend to start off slowly, with the Huskies playing excellent defense while repeatedly shooting themselves in the foot on the offensive end. Then, in the second half, their offense roars to life, but the defense cracks just a bit. Eventually, the balance hangs in the last five minutes, which, through eleven games, the Huskies have usually gotten the better of.
For 38 minutes, Wednesday’s game followed that pattern. Northeastern (8-4) dug themselves a first-half hole, the offense came alive in the second, and the Huskies had UMass (5-7) on the ropes with just a touch over 90 seconds to play.
This time, though, Northeastern’s early self-inflicted wounds were just a hair too much to overcome. Massachusetts’s Jaylen Curry put the finishing touches on a career night with a lead-taking three pointer, and the Minutemen pulled themselves together just in the nick of time to close out a much-needed 77-72 win.
This one began in a familiar way; the Huskies failed to get on the board until the 16-minute mark, when LA Pratt snaked between UMass defenders to slot home a layup. The Minutemen had already built an eight-point cushion, though, and turnover-happy Northeastern was unable to cut very far into that lead. Eventually, after twelve minutes of tug-of-war basketball, a 9-2 run catapulted Massachusetts into a commanding 34-19 lead with 3:39 left in the first half.
A 15-point lead isn’t insurmountable, but for an offense as meticulous as Northeastern’s, it certainly isn’t an enviable gap to bridge. The Huskies treated the remaining 3:39 accordingly, using an 11-0 run punctuated by Masai Troutman converting three free throws to pull back within one. They had the chance to slice the lead even further, but a misplaced JB Frankel pass spurned that opportunity before a UMass free throw sent the teams to the break with the scoreboard reading 35-30.
All in all, the first half could’ve been much worse.
Northeastern committed nine turnovers and shot 34% from the floor in what was, for long stretches, a brutally ugly offensive showing. The team looked discombobulated, often appearing unready for passes or dribbling the ball off their own feet as the Minutemen routinely marauded the other way for easy transition opportunities.
As per the script, Northeastern’s offense looked like a completely different unit in the second half. However, so did Massachusetts’. The teams traded buckets throughout much of the frame, with the Huskies making their hay on the offensive glass and the Minutemen making theirs from the three-point line. The teams traded blows, but after a momentum-shifting Rahsool Diggins three with 6:47 remaining stretched the UMass lead to 11, the game looked like it was about ready to get out of hand.
Once again, though, Northeastern refused to let it slip away; physical, aggressive defense forced the home team to go five minutes without a field goal while the visitors went on a 12-1 run to draw the game level at 70 with less than two minutes to play. In a flash, the once-dead-in-the-water Huskies looked poised to come from nowhere and snatch a truly improbable victory from the jaws of defeat.
Instead, one last proverbial bullet to their own foot came at the game’s worst time. A defensive lapse left UMass’s leading scorer wide open from the top of the key, and Curry (no, not Steph), splashed home a lead-taking triple. Northeastern’s Harold Woods then missed tough layups on back-to-back possessions, and the Minutemen got just enough late-game execution to get this one over the line by a 77-72 final.
It was not a banner night for a team that’s already had a few so far this season. The Huskies shot just 37%, including 23% from three, and had a whopping 11 shots blocked. Additionally, they turned the ball over 14 times, giving way to 15 UMass points off those turnovers, and never led in the contest.
However, there were some positives to take away; despite shooting so poorly, the Huskies remained competitive all night on the road against a team that figures to make noise in the A-10 this season. King, Pratt, Woods, and Masai Troutman all scored in double figures (despite an ugly 24-for-62 combined) and Alex Nwagha played 20 strong minutes.
Defensively, Northeastern looked strong at times, but ultimately couldn’t find enough to stop UMass routinely. Five different Minutemen scored in double figures, and the team managed 77 points despite shooting just 19-of-31 from the charity stripe. Curry led the way, slicing the Huskies open again and again en route to a career-high 24 points, including 18 in the second half.
Northeastern was also mostly unable to deal with senior forward Malek Abdelgowad; the 6’10” Egyptian recorded an efficient 12 points to go with 11 rebounds, and was a deterring rim presence. Northeastern does not have a player over 6’9”, and has struggled against bigger opponents this season, a trend which continued on Wednesday.
The biggest concern now lies with William Kermoury, who missed out through injury. The sophomore guard had a boot on his left ankle, which he appeared to tweak down the stretch against Old Dominion on Dec. 15. Junior Collin Metcalf briefly went down with a back injury after crashing into the stanchion midway through the second half on Wednesday, but did not go to the locker room and was able to return to the game.
Winter break means an 11-day hiatus for the Huskies, who will be back in action Dec. 29 in Evanston, Illinois to take on Northwestern. Jacob Phillips will be on the call on WRBB 104.9 FM, with tip scheduled for 1:30 p.m.