News and Notes
- Northeastern leads the all-time series at 7-6. In total, seven of the 13 all-time meetings between the programs have been decided by five points or less, including their double OT meeting earlier this season in Boston.
- As of Feb. 7, the Tribe ranks 26th nationally in 3-point
field goal percentage defense (.294), 82nd in field goal percentage (.453) and
88th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).
- Sophomore guard
Marcus Thornton recorded his ninth
20-point performance of the season at James Madison, marking the most for a
Tribe players since Adam Hess had 15 in 2003-04.
- Junior forward
Tim Rusthoven registered a double-double in
four of the last seven games, averaging 18 points and 9.5 rebounds per game
over the stretch.
- As of Feb. 8, the Tribe leads the CAA in field goal
percentage (.453) and defensive 3-point field goal percentage (.294), while
ranking second in 3-pointers made per game (6.8), assists (13.9) and
assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1).
Scouting Northeastern
Northeastern enters the contest with the Tribe atop the CAA
standing at 11-1 to go along with a 16-8 overall ledger. The Huskies are coming
off a 79-74 victory at Old Dominion in overtime on Saturday.
NU is the top offensive team in the CAA, leading the league
in scoring (69.4 points per game), 3-point percentage (36.8), assists (14.2)
and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.1), while they also rank second in field goal
percentage (44.9), free throw percentage (75.4), steals (7.7) and turnover
margin (+1.88). The Huskies have been even better in league play, averaging
nearly 72 points per game. Northeastern is 24th nationally in free throw
percentage and 59th in the country in 3-point percentage.
Senior guards Joel Smith and Jonathan Lee lead the way for
the Huskies. Smith ranks sixth in the CAA at 17 points per game and is among
the top shooters in the league. He leads the CAA in free throw percentage at
86.5, while ranking second in 3-pointers made per game (2.5) and 3-point
percentage (41.8). Lee, who was a
preseason first-team All-CAA selection and is a finalist for the Senior CLASS
Award, missed the opening nine games of the season due to injury, but has
returned to average 13.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.
Sophomores Quincy Ford and Reggie Spencer are the top frontcourt players for
NU. Ford averages 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while Spencer ranks
second in the CAA in field goal percentage at nearly 54 percent to go along
with 10.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The all-time series between W&M and NU has been tightly contested with the Huskies holding a 7-6 advantage. In fact, seven of the 13 meetings have been decided by five points or less. Earlier this season, W&M rallied from a 15-point halftime deficit to force overtime at Northeastern. Behind a career-high 29 points from Joel Smith, NU was able to hold off the Tribe, 95-91, in double OT, despite a career-high 25 points with 11 rebounds from
Tim Rusthoven and 23 points from
Marcus Thornton.
Hot Shooting
In each of the last two games, the Green and Gold has
eclipsed the 50-percent mark from the floor against both Hofstra and James
Madison. During the stretch, the Tribe is shooting 54.9 percent (50-of-91) from
the floor. W&M shot a season-high 56.8 percent (25-of-44) in the win over
Hofstra, before hitting on 53.2 percent (25-of-47) at James Madison. It marked
the first time since the 2010-11 season that W&M produced back-to-back
games of 50 percent or better from the floor. The last time the Green and Gold
produced three straight contests of 50 percent or better shooting from the
floor came in January of 2010.
Increased 3-Point Production
The Tribe has increased it 3-point production recently,
including one of the top 3-point performances in school history at James
Madison on Feb. 6. Over the last three games, W&M is hitting 9.7 3-pointers
per game, shooting 39.2 percent (29-of-74) over the stretch. The Tribe hit 14
3-pointers at JMU, marking the fifth-best single-game total in school history.
The Green and Gold's 51.9 percent (14-of-27) effort from 3-point range was the
best since hitting on 53.8 percent (7-of-13) against James Madison during the
2011 CAA Tournament.
Passing Big Man
Junior forward
Tim Rusthoven is among the top passing bigmen
in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Winfield, Ill., native currently
averages two assists per game with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.3. He is
one of only two CAA post players averaging two assists per game and the only
forward in the league with a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. The only other
post player in the CAA averaging at least two assists per game is Jerrelle
Benimon of Towson at 2.6 per contest.
Thornton on Single-Season 3-pointers Made List
With his five 3-pointers at James Madison, sophomore guard
Marcus Thornton pushed his season total to 63. The total is also among the top
10 in school history, moving into a tie for ninth with Matt Verkey, who hit 63
during the 1994 season. Here is the single-season 3-pointers made list:
| 1. David Schneider |
99 |
2010 |
| 2. Greg Burzell |
75 |
1988 |
| 3. David Schneider |
73 |
2009 |
| 3. Nathan Mann |
73 |
2008 |
| 5. Quinn McDowell |
70 |
2011 |
| 6. Adam Hess |
68 |
2003 |
| 7. Randy Bracy |
65 |
1998 |
| 8. David Schneider |
64 |
2008 |
| 9. Marcus Thornton |
63 |
2013 |
| 9. Matt Verkey |
63 |
1994 |
