NU, UMass split opening weekend
Huskies bottle up Mitchell
The turnpike series between UMass and Northeastern proved to be a two-way street.
The Huskies (1-1) evened the home-and-home weekend set with a 78-75 victory over the Minutemen (1-1) on Sunday afternoon on Solomon Court at the Cabot Center. NU’s hardscrabble win was a departure from the Minutemen’s 94-79 lopsided victory on Friday in Amherst.
“Obviously I’m extremely proud of our group today,” said Northeastern coach Bill Coen. “With the short turnaround they were able to absorb the adjustments in the scouting report and we came with great energy and we got back to Northeastern basketball.”
The two teams used the series as dress rehearsals for league play. Northeastern opens CAA play at Old Dominion Dec. 20. UMass begins Atlantic 10 play at La Salle on Wednesday.
“Being in close games, that’s what we want to be in and those types of situations prepares us for A10 play because I think we are going to be in a lot of close games,” said UMass coach Matt McCall.
NU shot 44.4% from the floor, made seven of 21 3-pointers and hit 23 of 30 from the free throw line, a stat that paid off down the stretch. The teams ended with 35 rebounds each, but Coen singled out the Huskies’ 19 assists and the key stat. Dynamic guard Tyson Walker led NU with 20 points, six assists and was 12-of-15 from the line.
UMass shot 41.9% from the floor with seven 3s and 16 free throws. McCall cited the Minutemen’s eight assists and 15 turnovers as out of sync with team’s mission.
UMass center Tre Mitchell had 31 points and 11 rebounds in the opener but was held to 10 point and eight boards in 32:14 on the floor. Coen credited Greg Eboigbodin and Notre Dame transfer Chris Doherty for putting the lid on Mitchell.
“He is a terrific player and a very difficult guard and I think they saw the first time the kind of effort they needed to contain him,” said Coen.
Up by one at the intermission, NU opened the second half with a flurry to take a 40-34 lead. The Huskies surge proved costly for UMass when Mitchell picked up his third foul. McCall called timeout with 15:51 remaining to restore order and get Mitchell off the floor.
The Huskies kept the surge going to stake a 51-40 lead into the second media timeout. Junior guard Shaquille Walters drained a corner trey and Walker made a drive-and-one to open the 11-point advantage with 11:31 to play. NU went up 56-42, its biggest lead of the day, on a baseline drive by Jahmyl Telfort with 9:43 to play.
“We settled down a little bit and we were able to use their energy against them,” said Coen. “The press was out there and we kind of opened up the floor and a player like Tyson Walker can get in the lane and spray the ball around.”
UMass cut the lead to 6152 on a long-ball by freshman point guard Javohn Garcia with 7:21 on the board. UMass guard Carl Pierce cut the lead to 65-57 with two freebies and a floater with 5:13 to play.
UMass cut the lead to 6961 on a Noah Fernandes 3 but fouling the Huskies proved costly. UMass battled through the final minute and cut the lead to 78-75 on a 3-point play by T.J Weeks with 19.2 seconds left. After two missed NU free throws, UMass had a final possession with 14 seconds remaining but failed to create an open shot from behind the arc.
“We decided to wake up with two minutes to go and make a run at it,” said McCall. “We had a wasted last possession.”
UMass overcame an early case of the turnovers to get its transition game in working order. The Minutemen also employed a full press that delayed but did not deter the Huskies through the feeling-out process.
The Minutemen were unable to finish in transition the way they had in the first half of Friday’s game. UMass was 6-of-15 from the floor and up 13-12 at the second media timeout.
NU ripped off six answered points, five of which came Coleman Stucke’s 3 from off the key and drive through the paint to give the Huskies’ a 25-22 lead with 5:08 to play.
Mitchell tied the game 25-25 with a 3-point play, his first points of the game, with 4:50 remaining in the opening half. The Huskies had the last word on the sloppy half, a baseline layup by Doherty that gave NU a 31-30 lead at the break. Both teams were 11of-33 from the floor in the half.