Northeastern men's basketball team, with a record of 7-3 and 0-0 in the CAA, demonstrated remarkable composure and unwavering determination as they emerged victorious against the Colgate University Raiders, who stood at 2-8 and 0-0 in the Patriot League. The intense battle on December 8 ended with a final score of 75-78.

Northeastern's Basketball Clash - A Tale of Determination and Victory

First Half: Raiders Take the Lead

In the first half, Northeastern faced a setback as they committed 11 turnovers, allowing the Raiders to take the lead at halftime. Head coach Bill Coen pointed out that the Raiders scored 16 points on those 11 turnovers, which became their primary offense. However, as the game progressed, the Huskies showed improvement in ball control.The Huskies started strongly with junior center Collin Metcalf winning the jump ball and junior guard Rashad King scoring the first basket. But the early part of the half was marred by numerous turnovers and fouls, with both teams missing scoring opportunities. With 19 minutes left in the first half, the Huskies' defense had two consecutive turnovers, nearly giving the Raiders an advantage. But fortunately for Northeastern, the Raiders couldn't capitalize on the opportunity.Despite the initial missteps, Northeastern continued to extend their lead. With a little less than 14 minutes to go, the score was in their favor at 10-3. Four minutes later, Colgate sophomore guard Jalen Cox's driving layup sparked a burst of energy from the Raiders, tightening their defense and causing a missed three-pointer from sophomore guard JB Frankel. With less than nine minutes to go, Pratt made another basket, bringing the score to 16-11 in favor of Northeastern.After an attempted layup by Metcalf, sophomore guard Parker Jones made a three-pointer with 7:15 minutes left, putting Colgate in the lead for the first time. Kermoury then made his first three-pointer of the game, giving Northeastern a 19-17 lead, but it was short-lived as Jones made another three-pointer, bringing the score to 19-20.After two layups from Louis-Jacques and Cummins, Northeastern called a timeout to assess their offensive mistakes. Back on the court, junior guard Masai Troutman fouled Jones, who made both free throws, extending Colgate's lead to 26-19. With three-and-a-half minutes left, King brought the score a little closer with a basket, making it 28-21.Trying to regain the lead before halftime, junior forward Youri Fritz attempted a shot that bounced back, and graduate student forward Alexander Nwagha tried to push it back in but was unsuccessful. Fritz was fouled but made only one of his two free throws. After misses from both teams, Troutman made a three-pointer with 59 seconds left, but was also fouled by Cummins. He made one shot, bringing the score to 26-32. Jones then attempted a shot but was blocked by Nwagha. Following this, freshman guard Ryan Williams scored another basket for Northeastern, ending the half with Colgate on top at 32-28.

Second Half: Huskies Make a Comeback

The Huskies came out strong in the second half. Pratt passed to Kermoury, who was forced to pass it back. Pratt then passed it to King, who found Metcalf in the paint. Metcalf was guarded and couldn't do anything with the ball, so he passed it to Kermoury, who drove to the basket. Instead of taking a layup as expected, Kermoury passed to junior guard Harold Woods, who made the basket easily, tightening the score to 32-30, with the Raiders still leading.After a missed layup by sophomore forward Cooper Wright, Pratt brought the ball down the court and missed his shot, but Metcalf was able to score off the rebound. Although Cox fouled Metcalf, he only made one of his two free throws.After another missed attempt by the Raiders and Kermoury's rebound, Pratt drove down the court and scored, giving Northeastern the lead again at 32-34. A minute later, Louis-Jacques tied the game at 34. About 20 seconds later, Pratt attempted a three-pointer but missed. King rebounded the ball and passed it to Woods, who passed it back to King, who made a three-pointer.The teams continued to battle with some baskets and some misses. Colgate clawed back and the teams tied at 43 with 12 minutes left. Cummins made another three-pointer, and soon after, Nwagha pushed the ball in after an attempted shot from Troutman.The Raiders and the Huskies continued their back and forth until Northeastern started to pull away with an advantage with less than eight-and-a-half minutes left. The run ended at six minutes when the Raiders' Jones scored a three and then another basket by Cox made the score 56-62.With seven seconds left, Frankel fouled Louis-Jacques on his attempted three-pointer. The Raider made all three of his free-throws, making the game 73-75 for the Huskies. Frankel was then fouled by Jones, but he made only one of his two free throws. A second later, Frankel fouled Cox, who made his two free-throws, adding to the score to 75-76. With four seconds left, Baker fouled Frankel on a fast break. Frankel made both his free throws, ending the game. Cummins missed his three-pointer, giving Northeastern the victory with a final score of 75-78.Northeastern will now be on the road for their next game against the Old Dominion Monarchs on December 15 at 1 p.m.