Davidson holds off late Northeastern rally

Matthews Magic could not discourage the Davidson Wildcats.

Davidson got off to a quick start and held on to secure a 79-69 victory over Northeastern during a Sunday matinee between the Atlantic 10 and the Colonial Athletic Association at Matthews Arena.

The Wildcats (7-2) handed the Huskies (6-5) their first home loss of the season and just the fifth to a non-conference opponent since the 2014-15 campaign. NU resumes play at home against Vermont on Dec. 19.

“I told the guys in the locker room I was really proud of their effort but execution-wise, we have a ways to improve upon,” said NU coach Bill Coen. “We got off to a slow start, spotted them 15 points or so and then clawed our way back.”

The story was in the stats.

Davidson shot 49.2% from the floor with 13 3-pointers, 29 rebounds and a remarkable 17 assists to eight turnovers. Point guard Foster Loyer, who entered the game averaging 12.4 points per game, lit up the Huskies for 35 with eight 3-pointers. Guard Hyunjung Lee netted 23 and seemed to bust every NU run.

The Huskies shot 46.0% from the floor with 10 3-pointers, 24 rebounds and 13 assists. Tyreek Scott-Grayson led NU with 20 points while Nikola Djogo added 15. Forwards Jason Strong and Chris Doherty scored 10 apiece with a combined nine rebounds.

“They are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the country and multiple guys can really shoot it,” said Coen. “If you miss an assignment, if you go under a screen or misread a screen, they hold you accountable.

“They have a couple of guys that shoot it great and they start with that. But they have an inside presence that also holds you accountable.”

The Wildcats found their range early on and jumped out to an 18-4 lead into the second media timeout. Lee and Loyer netted a pair of treys in the opening surge.

NU cut the lead to 20-12 on a layup by Scott-Grayson with 9:23 to play. Davidson retaliated with a 10-2 run to go up 30-14 into the third media timeout. Loyer hit a pair of 3-pointers during the run.

Scott-Grayson led the Huskies’ response with nine points during a 13-8 surge to the half. A layup by Doherty with 28 seconds remaining cut the Wildcats lead to 38-27 at the break.

“They are a terrific offensive team and they space the ball and they share the ball and execute,” said Coen. “When you are going against that it is hard to get anybody to help out in matchup situations.”

Davidson opened the second half with a 10-5 run and went up 48-32 on a backdoor cut by Lee with 16 minutes to play. NU cut the lead to 10 points, 50-40, on a trifecta by Scott-Grayson with 13:21 on the board. Lee responded with a three-point play and Michael Jones finished a drive to give the Wildcats a 55-42 lead with 12:05 remaining.

Djogo completed a three-point play that started a 9-2 spurt. Shaquille Walters dropped a floater in the lane to cut the lead to 57-51 with 8:42 to play.

“We were just trying to stick with our script and stick to the scout,” said Scott-Grayson. “Offensively we tried to stay true to who we are but the shots were just not falling for us in the first half.”

NU cut the lead to 60-56 on a corner trey by Djogo with 6:52 to play. Loyer applied the dagger with a pair of 3-pointers and two from the line to put Davidson up 68-56 with 5:06 on the clock. Loyer sealed the deal with three free throws and a deep ball with 1:06 remaining.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3yj6Zdb