Northeastern edges Harvard in overtime to end losing streak
Senior captain Mike Loughnane hit the go-ahead free throw with less than a second left in regulation, leading the Huskies to a 74-70 victory in Cabot Center.
By Adrian Kovalenko ·
The Cabot Center went quiet as the clock ticked down to the final seconds of regulation.
Northeastern University men’s basketball defeated the Harvard Crimson 74-70 in overtime on Nov. 10, securing the Huskies’ first win of the season. The result improved the team’s record to 1-2, while Harvard dropped to 2-1.
Senior captain Mike Loughnane and sophomore guard Louis Bond led the scoring effort with 21 and 22 points, respectively. Bond marked his second consecutive game leading the Huskies in points after recording a career-high 23 in the previous matchup against the University of Virginia. Loughnane credited the coaching staff for setting the team up for success, stating that Coach Bill Coen and the staff put them in positions to use their strengths.
The game began with a defensive push. Sophomore forward Brayden Young opened the scoring with a basket inside the paint. In the opening three minutes, Northeastern forced three turnovers that disrupted Harvard’s five-on-five play. The Huskies held Harvard to just nine points in the first quarter, their best defensive performance of the season. At halftime, the lead stood at 29-19. Northeastern’s defense limited Harvard junior guard Tey Barbour to zero points in the first period.
Harvard began the second half by exploiting a size mismatch. Senior forward Thomas Batties II, who stands six-foot-seven, used his height to score against Northeastern’s smaller forwards. He drew a foul and made both free throws, cutting the deficit to eight points. A flagrant foul by freshman guard Jason Singleton sent Young to the line, where he made both free throws to extend the lead to 38-25. By the nine-minute mark of the third quarter, two baskets from Singleton and Batties had the visitors down by only six points.
The lead saw-saw back and forth in the final minutes. With under four minutes remaining, the score was 55-53. Young added a putback dunk, while Batties II made both free throws after an offensive rebound. The score reached 57-55 with three minutes left. Harvard took its first lead since the first period after Rashad King missed a three-pointer and Singleton made one. The lead shifted to 60-59 for Harvard. Loughnane missed a wide-open three from the wing, and Barbour missed his first free throw attempt. The Huskies secured the rebound for the final possession.
From the timeout, King laid the ball in, but the shot was blocked by Batties. Batties then turned the ball over. Grosber picked up the loose ball and passed to Loughnane. Loughnane drew a foul with 0.8 seconds left. He missed his first free throw but made the second, tying the game and sending it to overtime.
In the extra period, Batties scored to tie the game at 67. Both teams hit three-pointers to reach a 70-70 tie. Loughnane drove to the basket for a layup and made both free throws to put the game away. The Huskies will face the Yale University Bulldogs at the Cabot Center on Nov. 13 at 7 p.m.
