Huskies put depth on display at home
Northeastern was so ravaged by injuries last season that for the better part of two months, the Huskies played with eight players. For three games, they only had seven available bodies. What a difference a year makes. Northeastern is reloaded, healthy and deep again, and it’s showing.
Vasa Pusica led a balanced scoring effort with 17 points as the Huskies pulled away from Bucknell for an impressive 82-64 victory and their third straight win last night at Matthews Arena.
“It’s great to not only have depth but to have guys who are really team-first guys and accepting their roles and excelling in their roles,” Northeastern coach Bill Coen said. “It’s easy to say you have a lot of guys, but guys are making personal sacrifice ... and as a coach you really appreciate that. I think it all adds up to good team wins.”
Nine different Huskies (5-4) scored — including four in double figures — to lead the charge. It’s a stark contrast from last season, when the Huskies were just trying to scrape by.
“It’s a different experience,” senior guard Devon Begley said. “It’s nice having a deep roster where it makes practice competitive and you know that anybody on the roster can step on the court and contribute.”
The game was tied at 28 late in the first half when Northeastern went on a 8-0 run to take control and never looked back. The Huskies led by nine at halftime, and that’s where their newfound depth showed itself.
Northeastern went on a 9-2 run out of the break capped by Anthony Green’s and-one. Using good ball movement and playing strong defense that translated to offense, the Huskies built a lead as large as 20 on the Bison (4-6).
“We play a lot of guys and we’re allowed to stay fresh, and I think that doesn’t always present itself in the opening half, but I think in the second half our numbers really had an impact on the game,” Coen said. “We’re able to stay fresh and stay in attack mode.”
The Huskies also did a decent job limiting the Bucknell bigs — Nana Foulland, last year’s Patriot League Player of the Year, and Zach Thomas, who came in with the seventh highest scoring average in the nation. The Bison forwards had a combined 28 points and just six rebounds.
Bucknell also finished with just two offensive rebounds as Northeastern cleaned up the Bison misses and pushed the pace.
“That’s something we focused on,” Pusica said. “They have two really good bigs, and that was our plan, to keep them off the boards.”
After a four-game losing streak on a tough road swing, Coen has liked how his team has responded since it returned home.
“I think we learned what it takes to really come together as a team and prepare, and make some hard choices where we want to go,” Coen said. “I’m really proud of this group that they decided to re-commit and refocus and think about how we’re going to do this.”
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With his Dallas Mavericks playing the Celtics tonight, former Northeastern star J.J. Barea was on hand for a cause that means a lot to him. Barea, a Puerto Rican native, helped put on a night coined “Paws for Puerto Rico,” as he teamed up with his alma mater to help raise money for Puerto Rican hurricane relief. Ticket sales from last night’s game were donated to hurricane relief, and fans had the opportunity to donate and participate in a silent auction. The night raised almost $4,000.