Boxscore

Photo courtesy of Mark Campbell

BOSTON, Mass. -- Northeastern center Nkem Ojougboh hit an 18-foot jumper with 59 seconds remaining and Matt Janning made a key steal in the final seconds at the Huskies held off Delaware, 59-55, in Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball action Wednesday night at Matthews Arena.

Northeastern, which won its eighth straight game while improving to 10-7 overall and 5-1 in the conference, led the entire way before a three-pointer by Blue Hen junior Jawan Carter (at right) tied the game with 1:14 remaining. However Ojougboh, who finished with 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds, took a pass from Baptiste Bataille and connected from just above the foul line to put the Huskies ahead for good.

Delaware, which dropped its fourth straight while falling to 5-12 overall and 1-5 in the league, had a chance to tie the game following a timeout with 20 seconds on the clock. Carter drove the left side of the lane and tried to feed Adam Pegg on the baseline, but Janning intercepted the pass and was fouled by Carter with three seconds to go. Janning, who also scored 15 points for Northeastern, then drained two free throws to seal the Huskies’ 10th straight win over the Blue Hens.

Carter led Delaware in scoring for the fourth straight game by pouring in a game-high 19 points and going 3 of 4 from three-point range, while Alphonso Dawson added 12 points and a team-best seven rebounds. Pegg contributed nine points and three rebounds off the bench for the Blue Hens, while Josh Brinkley posted seven points and four boards.

After trailing 35-29 at the half Carter opened the second period with a three-pointer, and he added two free throws with 14:22 remaining to bring UD within 44-39. However Chaisson Allen found Manny Adako for a dunk and added a pull-up jumper to put the Huskies ahead 48-39 and force a Delaware timeout with 13:10 to play.

The Blue Hens would respond, as Carter scored six points during an 8-2 run for Delaware that cut the Northeastern margin to 50-47 at the 9:46 mark.
UD would go scoreless for nearly four minutes but Delaware stayed in the game by shutting down the Huskies as well, and after consecutive baskets by Brinkley and Pegg, UD trailed by just three points at 54-51 with four minutes to play.

Pegg then converted a free throw as Delaware closed to within two, and after a free throw by Bataille, Carter drained a three-pointer from the left side to tie the game at 55-55 with 1:14 remaining. However Ojougboh responded with his jumper that put the Huskies on top to stay and send the Blue Hens to their 15th consecutive CAA road loss.

“Our guys played with a tremendous of heart and intensity, and they really laid it all out on the line against one of the top teams in the CAA on its home floor,” said Delaware fourth-year head coach Monté Ross. “Northeastern went ahead in both halves, but we made plays and fought back all night. We just couldn’t make one more play at the end.”

Delaware, which held a slim 30-29 rebounding edge over Northeastern, limited the Huskies to 0 of 10 shooting from three-point range on the night.

The Huskies jumped out to 12-4 lead, taking an eight-point advantage on two free throws by Adako at the 14:31 mark. Later in the half Janning scored five straight points to put Northeastern up 21-10, but Pegg sandwiched two baskets around a three-point play by Brinkley to bring the Blue Hens within 21-17 with eight minutes left in the stanza.

Northeastern answered with a pair of baskets, but Dawson drained two three-pointers and Jamelle Hagins scored in the paint during an 8-2 Blue Hen spurt that made it a 27-25 game with 4:48 remaining. However the Blue Hens would not convert another field goal the rest of the half, as the Huskies scored eight of the final 12 points of the period to take a 35-29 advantage into the break.

Delaware opens a three-game homestand on Saturday when the Blue Hens host Towson at 12 noon at the Carpenter Center.