Northeastern Holds Off Elon, 68-60, To Set Up Championship Game Rematch
Rob Washburn
BOX SCORE | HIGHLIGHTS | SIGHTS & SOUNDS | PHOTO GALLERY | NORTHEASTERN PRESSER | ELON PRESSER
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 9, 2020) – Sixth-seeded Northeastern built a 20-point first-half lead and held off #7 Elon, 68-60, in the semifinals of the 2020 Hercules Tires CAA Men’s Basketball Championship at the Entertainment and Sports Arena.
The Huskies (17-15) advance to the CAA championship game for the third year in a row, where they will meet top-seeded Hofstra in a rematch of last year’s title contest, won by NU, 82-74. It’s just the third time in conference history, and first since 1995, that the same two teams have faced off for the championship in back-to-back seasons.
Senior guard Jordan Roland drained five treys and scored a game-high 21 points for NU, while senior Bolden Brace hit 4-of-6 from 3-point range and added 16 points, 11 of which came in the first half.
Elon (13-21), which was playing in the CAA semifinals for the first time, got 20 points apiece from graduate student Marcus Sheffield and freshman Hunter McIntosh. Freshman Hunter Woods chipped in seven points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Northeastern was clicking on all cylinders offensively in the first half and took a quick 9-0 lead after a Shaquille Walters 3-pointer. The Huskies, who shot 50% from the floor and were 7-of-14 from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, steadily increased the margin and went up 35-15 on a Roland trey with 3:50 left until halftime. NU took a 37-21 advantage into the locker room.
The Huskies still held a comfortable 19-point lead with 16 minutes to go, but Elon methodically began cutting into the deficit. Federico Poser scored six straight points to pull the Phoenix within 11 (45-34) with 9:39 remaining.
Elon got as close as seven, 57-50, with 2:55 to go, but Roland responded with back-to-back threes to push the cushion back to 13 and seal the victory.
Northeastern shot 46% from the floor, including a sizzling 13-of-25 (52%) from three. Elon connected on 45.3% of its field goal attempts, but was 9-of-29 from beyond the arc.
Northeastern is just the fifth team in CAA history to reach the championship game in three consecutive years. The Huskies will be seeking their third conference title in six years.