Yesterday was a train wreck. And as an NU alum fittingly so pointed out, today we tossed the proverbial monkey right off our back and into the Gulf of Mexico. Now while Life Being Husky frowns upon drowning animals in oil, we hope that the losing streak monkey is gasping for air as we speak. Yesterday, the Huskies were dealt a crushing 71-49 defeat at the hands of St. Louis University. Both teams struggled in the first half as Northeastern was held to just 17 points, SLU to 22 points. Freshman Alex Harris was the only Husky to break double figures (11 points) as Northeastern was limited to 36% from the field. The Huskies defense disappeared as the Bilikens were allowed to shoot a whopping 65.5% from the field in the 2nd half. It was a bad day all around with the Huskies committing 17 turnovers. The entire team seemed as if it just stepped off the plane and was sleepwalking throughout the entire game. Lack of energy, lack of determination, lack of fight. Whatever it was, it was U-G-L-Y. Enter today’s game. Huskies vs. East Tennessee State University. Fun fact: Chaisson Allen’s grandmother was the first African-American woman admitted to then East Tennessee State Teachers College. Would Northeastern repeat their lackluster performance from the day before, or would they rebound in a big way? Well that question was answered very quickly. The Huskies came out of the gates running as freshman Alex Harris and Chase Allen knocked down two big 3′s. Strong guard play continued as Harris, Allen, and sophomore Jon Lee led the Huskies on an 11-0 run. The points continued to flow for Northeastern. The half ended at 47-29. The Huskies’ 47 points nearly matched the 49 total points they scored the day before. In the entire game. Northeastern shot a blistering 54.5% from the field including over 70% from downtown. The lead got up to 21 before ETSU began chipping away. The tables turned defensively as the Huskies allowed ETSU to shoot over 50% while being held to under 40% shooting themselves. Towards the final stretch the Bucs brought the game to single digits but key baskets from freshmen Alex Harris and Ryan Pierson, along with senior captain Chase Allen kept the game at a distance. Despite a few bumps along the way to the final, Northeastern closed out the Bucs 77-67. Story of the game? Has to be the Huskies scoring efficiency. While the 2nd half wasn’t pretty, the 1st half was an education on ball movement and shooting. In a game that featured 19 assists, Northeastern showed that when it’s playing well, they can be quite dangerous. Allen, Harris, and Lee shot a combined 9-12 from 3 point land with Lee going 4-4 from downtown. Dirk-like Vinny Lima can also hit the 3 while Chris Avenant knocked down a trey of his own. Remember that all this production comes without Joel Smith who played a total of 3 minutes. Northeastern came ready to play and showed that energy can translate into points. Strong guard play also opened up the floor for big man and freshman center Ryan Pierson. The St. Louis native continued to show improvement posting a career high 19 points. Pierson also contributed a 5-5 shooting performance from the charity stripe to go along with 7 rebounds (3 offensive). Fellow freshman Alex Harris continues to impress, posting 14 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. With Allen’s 18 pts, sophomore Jon Lee’s 12 pts (4-4 3PT) and Vinny Lima’s 9 points, the Huskies scored a season high 77 on the day. Just like that the 6 game losing streak is over. Now 3-6 on the year, your Huskies sit in a very interesting position. Last year’s squad started off the year 2-7 before ripping off 11 straight wins, good for second-best in the nation at the time. That turn-around happened on the road at a holiday tournament. Sound familiar? While no one is predicting another 20 win season and NIT appearance for this season’s Huskies, it’s hard to ignore the similarity. What we do know is that when 3′s fall for the Huskies and they limit turnovers, these are some dangerous dawgs. We look forward to bringing you more good news tomorrow as your Huskies take on Texas State at 3:30pmET. You can listen live at wrbbsports.com or follow live game updates on twitter from @TheRealNZone. Until next time, stay classy Northeastern and LET’S GO HUSKIES

More here:
Dreadful to Dangerous, your ’10-’11 Huskies?