BOSTON – Northeastern held a two-point halftime lead, but a dominant second-half performance from College of Charleston graduate guard Jlynn Counter and a staggering free-throw disparity helped the Cougars, one of the top teams in the CAA, pull away for an 89-84 victory in a packed Cabot Center.
“That’s a really good basketball team, and they presented us with a bunch of challenges,” said head coach Bill Coen about the team’s efforts against the formidable opponent. “For most of the game, I thought we rose to those challenges.”
While the game did not end in favor of the Huskies, junior guard William Kermoury delivered a career-high of 36 points, his 30+ point performance for the second time this season, and the most points in a game for a Husky since Tyson Walker in 2021, tying for 13th in points scored in Northeastern single-game history.
“He’s a really good player. He’s an experienced player. We need him to score, and he knows it,” said Coen. “Today, he did a great job of kind of leading the way and giving us a chance.”
Kermoury received support from junior guard Mike Loughnane, who was efficient with 24 points on 11-16 shooting, and sophomore guard Luca Soroa Schaller, who posted a double-double with 13 points and 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards.
The first half had momentum swings with both teams trading scoring runs. Kermoury came out firing, scoring 19 first-half points to pace the Huskies’ offense. Loughnane added 11 points, hitting 5-8 from the field to help build Northeastern’s offensive rhythm.
Northeastern went on a 9-0 run in the first half, taking advantage of Charleston during a four-minute scoring drought. However, redshirt junior center Christian Reeves, who scored 11 points in the first half, responded with a 7-0 run of his own in the final minute to close the gap.
The first half ended at 40-38, setting up a tight second-half battle, despite Northeastern’s zero free-throw attempts compared to Charleston’s seven. In the first half, Northeastern shot 48.6% from the field and 33.3% beyond the arc, while Charleston shot 48.3% from the field and 30.0% from three. Both teams scored heavily in the paint and on fast breaks in the uptempo contest. The fast-paced game had 66 combined field goal attempts. Despite Charleston having two seven-footers, Northeastern held a 20-15 rebounding advantage.
The second half mirrored the first, with constant lead changes and five ties keeping the game tight throughout. But Charleston pulled away behind a dominant performance from Counter, who had been relatively quiet with just six points in the first half.
“[Counter is] their closer. He’s the guy at the end of the games, he has the ball in his hands,” Coen said. “We really didn’t have an answer for him.”
Counter scored 22 of his points in the second half. He hit clutch free throws down the stretch, converting 8-11 attempts and providing the Cougars with crucial points when the Huskies couldn’t.
Kermoury kept Northeastern in the fight, adding 17 second-half points on 7-12 shooting, while Loughnane contributed 13 more. But Charleston received support from redshirt sophomore center Chol Machot, who contributed eight points, five rebounds, big dunks and a crucial block on Loughnane, while Reeves added 10 points and five rebounds in the second half.
The Huskies’ breaking point was their free-throw disparity.
“Everything else in terms of our scheme, guys worked and contested and fought for rebounds, but we just gave them too many points at the free throw line,” said Coen.
Northeastern committed 20 personal fouls, 13 in the second half alone, compared to Charleston’s ten total, sending the Cougars to the line repeatedly. Meanwhile, Northeastern attempted zero free throws in the first half and just five in the second. Charleston attempted 26 free throws and made 21 (80.8%), while Northeastern made two out of their five free throws. Charleston’s ability to get to the line proved to be a decisive factor in the final margin.
Charleston outscored Northeastern 51-44 in the second half and closed out the 89-84 victory, handing the Huskies another close loss.
The Huskies will look to find a win when they travel to Hofstra Thursday, Feb. 5, with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Madison Ferreira is a first-year student at Northeastern University. You can find her articles here.