Northeastern Advances To CAA Finals With Win Over UNC Wilmington

By Gregory Hunt

The Northeastern Huskies men's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the CAA Tournament with a 78-71 victory over the No. 2-seeded UNC Wilmington Seahawks Sunday at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Maryland. The No. 3-seeded Huskies will now face the No. 1-seeded William & Mary Tribe to determine the CAA's automatic bid for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. William & Mary advanced to the championship game by winning its semifinal matchup 92-91 over the Hofstra Pride.

Sunday's game featured five ties and nine lead changes. The outcome wasn't determined until junior guard Caleb Donnelly hit 3-of-4 free throws late in the game to ice it. With the Seahawks leading 47-46 with 12:30 remaining, a 13-6 run by Northeastern gave the Huskies the lead for good, but UNC Wilmington closed to within one point before Donnelly made his key free throws.

Donnelly, a walk-on player who didn't know if he was going to get any playing time when he joined the team, came off the bench to score 11 critical points in only 11 minutes of play against the Seahawks. Thanks to his work ethic, he earned a place in the regular rotation early in the season and ended up as the team's most accurate three-point threat. After making 2-of-3 from the three-point line on Sunday, Donnelly is now shooting 53.5 percent (23-of-43) from deep this year.

"Nothing (Donnelly) does will ever surprise me because he attacks each and every day,” said Northeastern head coach Bill Coen. “He gets more out of a 24-hour day than most people get out of a month.”

"It’s a lot easier to go out there when you know all the guys trust you and everyone’s trusting in each other," said Donnelly following the game. The only basketball he was playing two years ago came in pickup games and club games. He red-shirted last season before being added to the regular roster this season.

Overall, Northeastern's bench accounted for 33 points against UNC Wilmington. Senior forward Reggie Spencer and freshman guard Devon Begley each matched Donnelly's point total of 11. Altogether, the trio shot a blistering 78.6 percent (11-of-14) from the field, including four three-pointers.

"(Spencer) could start on most teams in our league,” said senior forward Scott Eatherton, who led the team with 21 points. "He comes to work every night, just like Caleb. I feel like these guys don’t really feel like they’re coming off the bench. It’s like they’ve been playing the whole game."

Northeastern also received a significant contribution from junior guard David Walker, who scored 11 points and led the team with eight rebounds.

The championship game against William & Mary will be played Monday night at Royal Farms Arena. The Huskies split the season series with the Tribe, losing 78-62 on the road January 24, then winning 75-64 at home February 18. This is the second time in three years the Huskies have advanced to the CAA Championship Game. Two seasons ago as the #1 seed, the Huskies faced #3-seeded James Madison and lost 70-57.

The Huskies have not advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 1991, when they won the America East Conference before losing in the NCAA first round to North Carolina 101-66.

Gregory Hunt is a Boston native and a life-long fan of the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and Celtics. He's also particularly fond of lacrosse, IndyCar racing and women's college basketball. He currently works for Examiner.com where he serves as the Senior Manager of Content and Media Access. He also writes for Examiner.com as the New England Patriots Examiner. His work can be found on Examiner.com.