BOSTON – It’s a 10-minute drive from Northeastern to Boston University, if you catch the city on a good day. Some days, it might even be faster to walk.
Every year, almost without fail, one of these teams makes that arduous trek to open up each other’s basketball season. It’s a rivalry steeped in history, in respect, in proximity, and, hell, even in color scheme… both teams tend to have red featured as a primary color, at all times.
A season ago, it was a thriller, as the Terriers played spoiler to
the beginning of Matthews Arena’s swan song with a rousing 76-75 victory. On Monday, the scene shifted back to Commonwealth Avenue and Case Gym, where BU used a big lift from star guard Kyrone Alexander to take down the Huskies, 93-85.
Alexander’s lift was as much an emotional one as it was physical; the senior missed all but 12 minutes of last season after suffering a season-ending injury in BU’s opener at Northeastern. Alexander’s shooting, playmaking, and slashing was sorely missed by the Terriers last year, even as they battled all the way to the Patriot League championship game before losing a heartbreaker to Lehigh.
It didn’t take long to feel the impact of his return in this one. Less than two minutes in, Alexander took and nailed a long off-the-dribble three, bringing a lively Case Gym (or “The Roof”, as it’s affectionately known) to its feet.
Fortunately for Northeastern, they had their own star guard set to return; graduate stud Rashad King, who re-signed with Northeastern in the summer after a court injunction granted him a fifth year of college basketball. King, who spent his senior season at LSU, had played three years with the Huskies previously, culminating in a junior campaign that saw him earn All-CAA First Team recognition in 2024-25.
It wasn’t exactly an extended wait before King, too, got his name in the scorebook, with two of his patented mid-range jumpers finding mesh on two consecutive possessions just ahead of the 16-minute mark. Moments later, a sweet King dish found newcomer forward Brayden Young, who levitated above multiple BU defenders before throwing down a highlight-worthy slam, plus the foul.
The Terriers, though, started to pull away, using a 17-4 spurt fueled by Alexander to take a 37-24 advantage. That lead stretched as far as 17 after a Sam Hughes jumper went down with 1:34 to play in the half. Northeastern fought back, though, as freshman forward Dorian Grosber poured in five points in quick succession as part of a 7-0 half-closing run.
Trailing by 10, it was the visitors who took initiative in the second half. Young, little-used in the first half, looked as if shot out of a cannon in the second, providing instant impact on both ends of the floor. His layup, assisted by senior captain Mike Loughnane, pulled the Huskies to within four points at 61-57.
Young’s biggest impact was the neutralization of junior Terrier forward Michelangelo Oberti, who’s bruising, 6-foot-10 frame made life incredibly difficult on Northeastern forwards throughout much of the first half as he scored nine points. Oberti, while still impactful, was less effective in the second, unable to get the same positioning as he could in the first.
With 6:23 to play, a Ryan Williams corner three gave Northeastern its first lead since the 13:43 mark of the first half at 75-73. BU didn’t wilt, though, battling back and taking a five-point lead through a number of key defensive stops and clutch shotmaking by senior guard Azmar Abdullah.
That lead would hold. Tired Northeastern legs failed to generate the same pressure they had been earlier in the half, and by the time Abdullah hit two free throws with 1:39 left, the Terriers led by nine. Frantic Husky pressure made no difference and despite a King layup with seven seconds remaining, the gap was simply too large as BU moved to 1-0 with a 93-85 victory over their crosstown rivals.
“I’m really proud of the effort,” BU head coach Joe Jones said postgame. “This game is always [hotly] contested, and being two close schools [that] have such a history, this is always a great game, and [Northeastern head coach Bill Coen] does a great job.”
The tide turned in the second-chance points department, where Huskies’ bigs were simply unable to keep their Terrier counterparts off the glass. BU’s 18-3 advantage in that realm swung the game, and that effort didn’t go unnoticed by Jones.
“We’ve been really focused on [rebounding] in the offseason,” Jones said. “Coach [Khalil] Griffith on our staff, he’s doing a really good job of making sure that we’re going to the glass.”
More than anything, Monday was about Alexander’s return, almost a year to the day after suffering a season-ending injury in this very same fixture. The senior guard starred, too, leading his Terriers in minutes, rebounds, assists, and coming in second with 19 points.
“I put in a lot of work to get back healthy and get to the point where I am,” he said. “I just started to feel good out there and compete with my teammates, to be honest.
“I mean, it’s getting the win, but on the other hand, to kind of prove myself right, you know? Being injured is hard, but for me, I still can play. I feel like I’m even better than when I went down, and that was the goal, to get back on the court and be at that standard or even better.”
Alexander took a moment, too, to touch on those that helped him through the process. It was a team effort, in every sense of the word.
“It takes a village, [athletic trainers], you have family, you have friends,” Alexander said. “We’re in here probably five times a week, early mornings, late evenings, doing a lot of hard stuff that I did not like. But it got me to where I am today, and I’m grateful.”
Not only did it get Alexander back healthy, but BU got to 1-0, with a rivalry win in the books and a promising season on the horizon.
