Recap: William & Mary vs. Northeastern

Williamsburg, VA (Sports Network) - Joel Smith tallied 17 points and six assists as the Northeastern Huskies held off the William & Mary Tribe, 68-64, in a Colonial Athletic Association bout at Kaplan Arena.

Smith shot 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-6 from 3-point range for Northeastern (17-8, 12-1 CAA), which has won four in a row. Jonathan Lee and Quincy Ford each netted 12 points for the visitors, while Reggie Spencer put up eight points and eight rebounds.

For William & Mary (9-14, 3-9), Brandon Britt scored 18 points, while Tim Rusthoven was effective in the trenches with 14 points (on 7-of-11 from the field), nine rebounds, and two blocks. Marcus Thornton had 13 points and Kyle Gaillard added 10 points for the Tribe, who have lost back-to-back games since its Feb. 2 win over Hofstra.

Northeastern opened up the game on a 17-7 run in the first eight minutes, but William & Mary clawed back to make its deficit just three, 31-28, heading into halftime. The Huskies outshot the Tribe from the field in the first half, 52.2 percent to 44 percent.

The Tribe took control early in the second half, and they held a lead as big as seven, 60-53, with just over six minutes remaining. Northeastern caught fire down the stretch however, finishing the game on a 15-4 run to capture the four-point victory.

Northeastern shot 12-of-21 from 3-point range, while William & Mary was 7- of-19 from beyond the arc.