NU starts strong in Colonial play

Northeastern made a triumphant Colonial Athletic Association debut as Jose Juan Barea scored 22 points and Bobby Kelly sank two free throws with two seconds left to seal the Huskies' 86-83 win over James Madison last night in Harrisonburg, Va.,

James Madison trailed by 10 with 2:44 to go before Ray Barbosa hit a 3-pointer with three seconds left to narrow NU's lead to 84-83. Colbey Santos fouled Kelly on the change of possession and Kelly sank both foul shots to secure the win for the Huskies (5-1, 1-0).

James Madison (2-2, 0-1) led, 41-38, at the half but a Barea 3-pointer put Northeastern up, 48-47, and the Huskies never trailed.

Hartford 76, Maine 72 -- Kenny Adeleke had 18 points and three others scored in double figures for the host Hawks (3-2), who turned back the Black Bears (1-5) in the America East opener for both teams.

Long Island 59, UNH 56 -- The Wildcats (1-5) couldn't overcome a 12-point halftime deficit at home as Paska Morkeliunas (16 points) powered the Blackbirds (1-3).

URI 77, Providence 69 -- At South Kingstown, R.I., Dawan Robinson scored all of his 18 points in the second half to power the Rams (4-1) over the Friars (3-2).

Wagner 73, Yale 69 -- At New Haven, Durell Vinson (10 points) scored the go-ahead basket for the Seahawks (4-1), then blocked a layup attempt in the final seconds to put away the Bulldogs (3-3).

Fairfield 80, Tulane 68 -- Terrence Todd scored a season-high 18 points, all in the second half, for the Stags (1-4) in the consolation round of the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa.

Stonehill 78, Le Moyne 64 -- The host Skyhawks (5-1, 3-1 Northeast-10) continued their best start since 1997 behind 22 points and 11 rebounds from Marquis Taylor.

Saint Anselm 73, Bentley 63 -- At Waltham, Jim Moore tallied 22 points for the Hawks (3-2, 2-2 NE-10), who dealt the Falcons (4-2, 3-2) their second straight loss.

UMass-Lowell 81, Franklin Pierce 64 -- The River Hawks (5-1, 3-1 NE-10) rolled at home as Stacey Moragne led the way with 24 points.

Bryant 69, Southern Conn. 58 -- John Williams paced the Bulldogs (5-2, 2-2 NE-10) in New Haven with 21 points, and Chris Burns added 13.

Merrimack 81, Saint Michael's 61 -- The Warriors (3-2, 2-1 NE-10) had no trouble at home with Kent Leahy (22 points) hitting 11 of 13 shots.

Saint Rose 76, Assumption 62 -- Will Monica came off the bench to score 17 points for the host Golden Knights (5-2, 2-2 NE-10). Corey Diethorn had 13 points and 15 rebounds for the Greyhounds (1-5, 0-4).

Pace 79, AIC 71 -- The host Setters (4-2, 3-2 NE-10) escaped after blowing most of a 24-point halftime lead to the Yellow Jackets (4-2, 3-1) and John Huggins (23 points).

Southern N.H. 66, N.Y. Tech 62 -- At Manchester, N.H., Miguel Gonzalez netted 22 points as the Penmen improved to 5-1.

Keene St. 99, R.I. College 86 -- David Sontag scored 24 points, Sean Sullivan had 21, and the host Owls (5-0) captured their Little East Conference opener.

Plymouth St. 70, Western Conn. 52 -- At Danbury, Conn., Andreas Pope fell just short of a triple-double for the Panthers (5-0, 1-0 Little East) with 24 points, 13 rebounds, and 9 assists. Pope also scored his 1,000th career point.

UMass-Boston 76, Eastern Conn. 72 -- Tony Barros had 26 points to lead five players in double figures for the visiting Beacons (4-2, 1-0 Little East).

Wentworth 83, UNew England 79 -- Todd Doyle (23 points) broke a late tie with a 3-pointer to lift the visiting Leopards (4-2) in their Commonwealth Coast Conference opener.

Amherst 102, Westfield St. 77 -- Tournament MVP Andrew Olson scored 17 points as the Lord Jeffs (4-0) rolled in the Pioneer Valley Classic in Springfield.

WNEC 77, Springfield 69 -- Jon Godbout (22 points) and Ryan Hernandez (19) combined for eight 3-pointers to lead the Golden Bears (2-3) in the Pioneer Valley Classic.

Tufts 86, Brandeis 72 -- Ryan O'Keefe (26 points) shot 10 of 16 from the field for the host Jumbos (5-1), who exploded for 24 points in overtime.

Wheaton 78, Bridgewater St. 75 -- Sean Kelly and Brent DiGiovanna each had 16 points for the Lyons (4-1) in Bridgewater.

Fitchburg St. 104, Elms 100 -- The visiting Rams (4-3) won an overtime shootout behind Derek Wigman, who scored 27 points.

Women

BU 72, Long Island 45 -- The host Terriers (4-1) picked up their fourth straight win as Katie Meinhardt pumped in 13 points.

Michigan 68, Maine 60 -- At Ann Arbor, Mich., Ta'Shia Walker had 24 points and the Wolverines (3-4) never trailed in defeating the Black Bears (2-3).

Iowa 79, Vermont 57 -- The Catamounts (2-4) were overmatched by the hosts in the Hawkeye Challenge as Crystal Smith paced Iowa (4-2) with 26 points.

Holy Cross 91, Memphis 66 -- Kaitlin Foley had 18 points and Brittany Keil provided 16 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Crusaders (3-4) in the consolation game of the Wells Fargo Holiday Classic in Tempe, Ariz.

Virginia 54, Harvard 48 -- The visiting Crimson (2-3) forced 25 turnovers, but couldn't turn back the Cavaliers (4-1), who were led by Siedah Williams (15 points).

Brown 86, Hampton 71 -- Sarah Hayes (25 points) reached the 1,000-point plateau in leading the Bears (2-3) into the championship game of the Brown Classic.

Fairfield 70, Yale 61 -- Stephanie Ryan scored 18 points and the Stags (2-2) topped the winless Bulldogs in New Haven.

AIC 61, Pace 60 -- Sharmion Selmon (24 points) hit a short jumper in the final seconds to lift the visiting Yellow Jackets (6-0, 4-0 Northeast-10) and give coach Pete Cinella his 250th career win.

Stonehill 84, Le Moyne 74 -- Alisha Collins scored 23 points and the Skyhawks (7-0, 4-0 NE-10) used a 19-9 advantage in made free throws to prevail in Easton.

Bentley 62, Saint Anselm 52 -- Reserve Kate Kelley had 17 points, 15 in the second half, as the Falcons (4-6, 2-2 NE-10) triumphed in Waltham.

Southern Conn. 73, Bryant 46 -- Babette Noah netted 18 points and the Owls (4-2, 3-2 NE-10) held the Bulldogs to 25 percent shooting from the field in New Haven.

Franklin Pierce 73, UMass-Lowell 51 -- Danielle D'Ettorre's 18 points led a balanced effort for the Ravens (3-3, 3-1 NE-10) in Lowell.

Southern N.H. 65, N.Y. Tech 60 -- Alex Giannopoulou supplied the Penwomen (1-4) with 14 points and 16 rebounds, giving coach Karen Pinkos her first career win.

Eastern Conn. 74, UMass-Boston 51 -- The host Warriors (5-1) rolled in their Little East opener with Kate Brunet providing 15 points.

UNew England 61, Wentworth 52 -- Alli Gamache had 13 of her 17 points in the first half, when the host Nor'easters (3-1, 1-0 Commonwealth Coast) took control.

Regis 66, Curry 59 -- Ten of Kim Marioti's 20 points for the host Beacons (4-1, 1-0 Commonwealth Coast) came from the foul line, matching the Colonels' free throw total.

Wheaton 62, Tufts 59 -- At Norton, Becky Aitchison beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer as the Lyons improved to 5-1.

Springfield 55, WNEC 43 -- Pioneer Valley Classic MVP Erin Schwartz (18 points) led the Pride (4-1) in Westfield.

Amherst 64, Westfield St. 46 -- Also in the Pioneer Valley Classic, Julie Smith's 23 points guided the Jeffs (2-4).

Emmanuel 63, Colby 58 -- Alyssa McCoy powered the host Saints (3-2) with 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.