Coastal Athletic Association (CAA Sports)

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PITTSBURGH, Pa. (March 19, 2015) – Scott Eatherton's layup off a missed 3-pointer by David Walker brought the No. 14-seeded Northeastern men's basketball team to within two points of No. 3 Notre Dame during the game's final minutes, but the Huskies were not able to produce a shot on their final possession as the Fighting Irish held on to defeat NU, 69-65, in the Second Round of the NCAA tournament.

Eatherton led the Huskies with 18 points on seven-of-13 shooting while also grabbing eight rebounds. The redshirt-senior battled foul trouble for the majority of the game, and scored 10 of Northeastern's final 22 points with four personal fouls.

Walker made two 3-pointers en route to a 15-point performance and dished out a team-high seven assists. Quincy Ford, the 2015 CAA tournament Most Valuable Player, finished the game with nine points, five rebounds, and four assists.

Zach Auguste scored 25 points as Notre Dame's top scorer, converting on 10 of his 14 attempts from the field. As a team, the Irish shot 57.4 percent on 27-of-47 shooting, trumping the Huskies' 49.1 shooting percentage. Senior ND guard Jerian Grant, a 2015 All-ACC selection, notched 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds.

Although the Huskies outrebounded the Irish, 33-17, Northeastern's 16 turnovers awarded Notre Dame with a surplus of extra possessions. However, four NU starters did collect at least two offensive boards, helping the Huskies win 13 offensive rebounds, the most in a single game since snagging 14 against William & Mary earlier this season on Jan. 24.

Northeastern made sure Notre Dame knew that the Huskies were in the NCAA tournament for a reason during the first half. Walker opened the game's scoring with a 3-pointer at the top of the key, putting NU ahead during the early going, 3-0.

After a 7-0 Irish run put ND back in front, Eatherton took command of the inside game with a pair of dunks down low that kept NU close, down just 11-9. The redshirt-senior had a chance for a third dunk midway through the first half, but Irish forward Austin Torres blocked Eatherton's two-point try, leading to a fast break that put ND up, 15-11.

A mid-range jump shot by senior Reggie Spencer broke a three-minute scoreless drought for the Huskies, and a long-range 3-pointer by Walker soon after tied the game up at 18-18, with 7:05 to play in the first. Spencer answered a jumper by Grant with a hook shot in the lane to level the score at 20-20, and Zach Stahl's lay-in on a pass from Walker gave NU its first lead in more than six minutes at 22-20.

Two Northeastern turnovers gave Notre Dame a chance to speed up its offensive tempo during the final five minutes of the first half. Baskets by Grant and Demetrius Jackson helped the Irish explode on an 11-5 run to close the half, giving ND a 31-27 advantage heading into the locker room.

Limited to 11 first-half minutes with two fouls, Eatherton was called for his third personal at the 18:59 mark in the second half, forcing NU head coach Bill Coen to utilize his bench earlier than he had anticipated. Notre Dame scored the first six points of the second half to build a 10-point lead, 37-27, but a three-point play by Huskies guard T.J. Williams kept NU within striking distance.

After Auguste made a layup to put ND in front by nine, 43-32, Northeastern responded with a 6-0 run of its own, slashing the Irish's lead to five points with 15:07 to play. Following the media timeout, Walker drove hard to the basket and earned a foul on a made layup, completing the three-point play at the foul line to bring the Huskies to within two, 43-41.

Northeastern and Notre Dame went back-and-forth during the next several minutes, but an 8-2 run by ND gave the Irish a 52-43 lead with 11:53 to play in the second. Eatherton was whistled for his fourth personal foul shortly after the timeout, but made a pivotal layup with just more than eight minutes to go that cut Notre Dame's lead to single digits, 56-47.

NU had difficulty converting in the paint after a mid-court steal by Walker and the Huskies' inability to score led ND on a well-executed fast break the other way that sent the Irish ahead by 11, 60-49, with 6:24 remaining.

The Huskies, however, would not let Notre Dame escape easily. Clutch free-throw shooting by Spencer and Eatherton as well as a jump-shot by Ford brought Northeastern to within six at 65-59, and a layup by Eatherton again at the 2:04 mark put the Pittsburgh crowd back on its feet.

Trailing Notre Dame, 67-61, Williams grabbed his own rebound on a botched layup and cleaned up on the next play to make it 67-63 with 64 seconds left. A missed ND free throw by Jackson gave Northeastern the ball back, and after Walker's missed 3-pointer fell into the hands of Eatherton, the big man finished the job to make it a one-possession game, 67-65.

Stahl stole the ball on the far side of the court after Notre Dame's Pat Connaughton blundered on a deep pass during the ensuing inbounds play, giving the Huskies possession with under 30 seconds to play. However, the Irish shut down NU on defense and pressured the Huskies into a turnover, sealing the win for ND, 69-65.

Northeastern finishes the season with a 23-12 (12-6 CAA) overall record after playing in its first NCAA tournament game since 1991. The Huskies won the CAA tournament for the first time in program history in 2015 after earning a four-way share of the regular-season title with William & Mary, James Madison, and UNCW.

Notre Dame (30-5, 14-4 ACC) will advance to the Third Round of the NCAA tournament, where the Irish will meet the winner of No. 6 Butler and No. 11 Texas.