WILLIAMSBURG, VA — With the score tied, time winding down, and every corner of a raucous Kaplan Arena exploding in noise, Rashad King stood stoically at halfcourt with the ball on his hip.
Eventually, King launched into a series of crossovers; with nine seconds on the game clock, he jolted left, evading an oncoming double team. He got a step on his man, planted his foot, and stepped back into a left-elbow, high-arcing jump-shot just as the shot clock neared expiry.
You can guess what happened next.
King’s jumper made sweet music as it splashed through the nylon, handing his Huskies a two-point advantage with five seconds remaining. With no timeouts remaining, W&M’s Gabe Dorsey took the inbounds pass, sprinted hurriedly up the floor, and let fly from halfcourt.
It really wasn’t a bad look, and visions of Jalen Suggs flashed across my mind as Dorsey’s prayer neared the rim. But, on this day, in this building, against this team, it wasn’t to be. The last-ditch heave crashed harmlessly off the left side of the rim, and the final score read Northeastern 70, William & Mary 68.
Saturday was Senior Night at Kaplan; the Tribe responded by starting five seniors, who immediately leapt out to a lead. The Dorseys (Gabe and Caleb) got off to a hot start, scoring seven of W&M’s first ten points as they sprung to a 10-2 advantage.
The Tribe play a distinct style of basketball – they press full-court at every opportunity, shoot a boatload of threes, and play a ten-man rotation aimed to tire out the opposition. For the opening ten minutes on Saturday, it looked like the Huskies were hapless to stop it; W&M overwhelmed Northeastern, capitalizing on mistakes and starting 5-of-7 from three, taking a 21-10 advantage at the ten-minute mark.
NU responded, with King spurring a 13-4 run to pull within two with 5:48 remaining in the half. They couldn’t break all the way through, though, and the Tribe’s Caleb Dorsey led a counterpunch that ended with his buzzer-beating layup to give the home side a 41-31 halftime lead.
Some back-and-forth play resulted in W&M extending their lead to 11 when Finn Lally stuck home back-to-back layups. With both of Northeastern’s big men — Collin Metcalf and Youri Fritz — dealing with foul trouble, and a loud, passionate Kaplan crowd encouraging their surging Tribe, it felt like the game was teetering on the edge of slipping out of the Huskies’ reach.
They could’ve rolled over; after all, the do-or-die games don’t start until next weekend. But, after Fritz checked back in, they ignited. A 12-2 Husky jaunt came in what felt like an instant, sparked by a number of turnovers forced by an aggressive, ferocious defense. JB Frankel’s fast-break layup made it a one-point game, and the home crowd suddenly fell silent.
From there, it became kind of a tug of war. Physicality and defense ruled the day, with each side getting a number of stops (and committing a number of fouls) as they took turns lurching in front. Finally, with 2:55 to go and Northeastern trailing by one, it was Frankel again who came through, hitting a right-pocket three to nudge his Huskies’ noses in front, 67-65.
Offense was hard to come by from there. W&M missed free throws, Northeastern missed shots; overall, each team earned a point. With 34 seconds left, and his Tribe trailing 68-66, junior guard Chase Lowe cut across the lane, tossing up a prayer. Perhaps it was in fact divine intervention — perhaps it was simply dumb luck. Either way, the shot took a huge ricochet off the back rim, popping up high in the air; it hung there for what felt like an eternity before ultimately dropping through the net, tying the game.
To make matters worse, Frankel was called for a foul on the shot; fortunately, Lowe’s bonus rolled off the rim, where it was grabbed by Harold Woods. Northeastern hustled down the floor, called a timeout, drew up a play, inbounded it to King…
If you’ve gotten this far, you know what happens from here.
When the buzzer sounded, King’s teammates — and coaches — mobbed him near half-court. Various people in green-and-white — players, coaches, and fans alike — dropped to the floor, both exhausted and unable to comprehend the result. On the other side, it was pure elation — a release from an emotional win, an emotional season, and a truly special moment.
“We have a late-game play that we’ve typically run, but at the end, [King] just wanted it on his shoulders,” said head coach Bill Coen on King’s shot. “That’s just the player he is, the man he is, and the year he’s having.”
It didn’t come without struggle — Northeastern committed 18 turnovers, including a few in the late-game. This time, it didn’t bite them, but even with the win, that’ll be looked at as an area to improve upon come tournament time.
“[William & Mary] come at you with a different kind of press,” said Coen. “I thought the second half we did a much better job, but next time, we’ll be more prepared for it.”
King finished with 22 points, five rebounds, and six assists, including the biggest shot of the evening. He again was the engine behind Northeastern’s success, and added another notch to his belt full of impressive performances.
Elsewhere, Woods stepped up; he broke a rough stretch with 16 points and 13 rebounds, including a few critical ones of each down the stretch. Frankel added 12, and Fritz added 8 — along with some superb defense and connecting work, both integral to the eventual win. Luca Soroa even made a cameo, racking up a whopping five steals and spelling Fritz repeatedly.
“Highlights up and down the lineup… Fritz gave us a great effort, Woods’s post defense, rebounding, steals and three balls, and you bring in Luca… he really stepped up, wasn’t afraid of the moment. Everybody stepped up, as it’s been all year long.”
On the Tribe side, they struggled to an astounding 25 turnovers, mostly due to their breakneck style of play. Caleb Dorsey scored 20 — and was perfect from the field — but ultimately, the turnover count combined with their 31% clip from three sunk a valiant effort, even in front of a great home crowd that showed up in numbers to celebrate their seniors.
“It’s big to have that community — the fans and the students — it means a lot to [the players],” said Tribe head coach Brian Earl. “We’re celebrating them even with a loss… it’s a great experience.”
For Northeastern, it’s a signature win, and one that gives them oodles of momentum as they head into the CAA Tournament — and build towards the ultimate goal. What happens next is uncertain, but what happened tonight can never be taken away — nor should it be.
“We talked to our guys about the calendars… it’s turning to March,” said Coen, with a glint in his eye. “It’s time for the magic to happen… if the first day is any indication, it should be a great month.”
I can’t find much of a reason to disagree.
Northeastern will be back in action Saturday in the second round of the CAA Tournament in Washington, D.C. against Hampton. Jacob Phillips and Jordan Walsh will be on your call with tip set for 6 p.m. as the Huskies aim to run the sudden-death gauntlet.