BOSTON — Behind a career-high performance from sophomore guard Louis Bond and a strong second half from graduate guard Rashad King, Northeastern defeated Yale 84-73 Friday night at the Cabot Center to secure its second consecutive victory and improve to 2-2 on the season.
Bond led the Huskies with a career-high 29 points, shooting 11-for-16 from the field and an impressive 5-for-7 (71.4%) from beyond the arc. King added 25 points and six assists, while freshman guard Dorian Grosber recorded his first career double-double posting 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Coming off an overtime victory against Harvard on Tuesday, Northeastern wasted little time establishing control. The Huskies opened the game shooting 6-for-7 from the field, using a 13-0 run to build an 18-5 lead less than five minutes into the first half.
Bond was particularly effective from beyond the arc, knocking down two early threes before continuing his hot shooting throughout the half. He finished the first half with 19 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-6 from three-point range.
Despite his individual performance, Bond credited his teammates for creating opportunities, particularly senior guard Mike Loughnane.
“He really is our captain,” Bond said. “He’s really good at finding people at the right time, right moment.”
Northeastern’s offense was firing on all cylinders, shooting 64.3% from three-point range in the first half. However, Yale gradually chipped away at the deficit, using a 9-0 run to pull within four points midway through the first half.
The Huskies maintained their advantage, with King connecting on a three-pointer late in the half before sophomore center Liam Koelsch added a dunk to send Northeastern into halftime with a 43-34 lead.
The second half, however, presented a different challenge.
Yale came out aggressively, with junior guard Jordan Brathwaite connecting on two early three-pointers to cut Northeastern’s lead to 45-42. Sophomore forward Daniel Ogunyemi then found success in the paint, bringing the Bulldogs within one at 47-46.
King responded with back-to-back three pointers to extend Northeastern’s lead to 53-46, before Bond added a layup to make it 55-46.
However, Yale refused to go away. With 12 minutes left in the half, the Bulldogs completed a 9-0 run to tie the game at 55, erasing Northeastern’s nine-point halftime lead.
The comeback continued when sophomore guard Courtney Wallace stole the ball and finished with a dunk to give Yale its first lead of the night, 62-61.
It was a familiar situation for Northeastern, which had surrendered a 17-point second-half lead against Harvard on Tuesday before eventually winning in overtime.
Yale continued to apply pressure, with Wallace helping the Bulldogs take a 67-64 lead. Northeastern quickly responded, as Bond converted a layup to put the Huskies back in front, 68-67.
Grosber followed with a crucial three-pointer to extend the Huskies’ advantage to 71-67. Bond added another layup before King attacked the basket for two more points, giving Northeastern a 75-69 lead with just over three minutes remaining.
Ogunyemi answered with a basket in the paint to cut the deficit to four, but Bond responded with another layup to make it 77-71. Wallace followed with a basket of his own, bringing the Bulldogs within four once again at 77-73.
King delivered the decisive blow, knocking down a three-pointer to extend Northeastern’s lead to 80-73 in the final minute.
The Huskies then closed out the game at the free-throw line, with King and Grosber each knocking down a pair to secure the 84-73 victory.
As Yale shifted more of its defensive focus toward Bond following his dominant first half, King found more opportunities offensively. He scored 18 of his 25 points after the break, shooting 6-for-9 from the field in the second half.
“[Bond] was drawing a lot of attention, so I kind of went unnoticed, and I was able to get my feet set,” King said.
While Northeastern’s perimeter shooting drew much of the attention, head coach Bill Coen highlightedKoelsch’s contributions in the paint, where his presence helped the Huskies match Yale’s physicality.
“I thought he responded beautifully”, Coen said. “He did some great things and gave us that presence in and around the rim that we needed. Without him, I don’t think we could have won the game.”
Koelsch finished with four points and six rebounds in 24 minutes, while Yale’s Ogunyemi recorded a double-double with a team high 20 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds.
The Huskies finished shooting 53.7% from the field and an impressive 15-for-25 (60%) from beyond the arc, their most made three-pointers in a game since Jan. 9th 2021. Northeastern also recorded 19 assists on 29 made field goals, highlighting the team’s ball movement throughout the night.
For Coen, the strong shooting performance was something he had been waiting to see after the team’s struggles from beyond the arc earlier in the season.
“In practice and in the preseason exhibitions, we’ve shot the ball really, really well, but we haven’t caught fire until tonight,” Coen said.
The victory also marked a milestone for King, who became the 43rd player in Northeastern history to score 1,000 points for the program.
With the victory, Northeastern improved to 2-2 on the season and remained undefeated at home, earning consecutive wins against Ivy League opponents Harvard and Yale. The Huskies now face a four-game road stretch, beginning with a matchup against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
“It’s very important, especially for our confidence, letting everybody know that we can play, too,” King said when asked about the importance of the win heading into the road trip.
Northeastern will look to carry that momentum into Thursday, November 19, when the Huskies travel to face Butler in Indianapolis at 7.p.m. Daniel Ku will have the call for WRBB 104.9 FM.
Mohammad Sheikh is a second-year student at Northeastern University. He has been covering Northeastern athletics as a writer and broadcaster for WRBB Sports since 2026.