Huskies are hot on the trail

NU coach Bill Coen, good at getting his point across, huddles with his players during a timeout. (ARAM BOGHOSIAN/for the Globe)

Bill Coen was not happy, and you could hear it as he talked to his Northeastern basketball team at halftime of its Colonial Athletic Association game against North Carolina-Wilmington yesterday afternoon at Matthews Arena.

"We're on pace to taking 28 threes," said Coen as he looked at the stat sheet, with the Huskies holding a 36-29 lead. "Against a team whose tallest guy is [6 feet 5 inches]. Shot selection and balance is the key. We need to do better. This team [UNC-Wilmington] is loose. They've got nothing to lose."

Then he paused and looked at a room full of players who are in first place in the CAA with less than a month remaining in the regular season. "Correct me if I'm wrong," he said. "We've got a little something to play for."

Then he raised his voice, with anger that was controlled yet still evident. "Pride doesn't show up on offense, it shows up on defense," he said. "Pride is going to take us where we want to go."

Where Northeastern wants to go is the NCAA Tournament, something that hasn't happened to the Huskies since 1991, when most of these players were toddlers. Where they went after Coen's halftime chat was to a solid 77-65 win that solidified their hold on first place in the league.

In his first two seasons at NU after being an assistant under Al Skinner at Boston College, Coen's teams made progress. The Huskies won 13 games two seasons ago, and 14 last season. With yesterday's win, Northeastern is 16-7 overall, 11-2 in the CAA.

The stress level for Coen increased significantly when NU was upset by CAA bottom-feeder William & Mary Wednesday night. Game day yesterday started shortly before 9 a.m. when Coen had breakfast with his staff and team.

"We're a flawed team" said Coen, picking over a bagel and some cereal. "But we have a very good will to win."

No one has more will than Coen. He has broken down tapes of Wilmington. In a small room off the dining hall, Coen and the Huskies went over the Seahawks' tendencies.

"[Guard Chad] Tomko is their leading scorer," Coen said. "He likes to shoot threes and his signature move is to move right to left on a crossover and then he drops back. Chase [NU guard Chase Allen], you'll take him. Watch that move."

Allen, who led the Huskies with 21 points, was a good student. In the opening seconds of the game, Tomko attempted the move. Allen didn't bite, and crowded Tomko into shooting an airball on his first 3-point attempt. Tomko finished with 9 points (well below his average of 15.8) and fouled out.

"This is a very cerebral team," said Coen with a laugh, when asked about the pregame breakdown of UNC-Wilmington.

Coen, like his longtime assistant, mentor, and friend Tom Murphy, considers sleep secondary during the season. Coen has prepared well for the UNC-Wilmington game, knowing his team cannot afford to lose back-to-back games to sub-.500 CAA competition. "I still think I work as an assistant sometimes," said Coen.

One of Coen's consistent messages to his team is "we have to play harder than our opponent." In the second half, Northeastern did that, as it pulled away to a routine victory over a team that fell to 6-19 overall, 3-10 in the league. But it was not the Huskies' best effort, and Coen knew it.

After the game, he delivered the same message to his team. "We're never disappointed with a win," he said. "But you guys have set the bar a little higher. We're playing for something down the stretch. We have to continue to get better if we want to get to where we want to go. But you're in control. You're in first place. No one can take that from you unless you open the door. For you seniors, you have three weeks to make a lifetime dream happen."

Coen then walked out of the locker room to greet some recruits and friends standing in the narrow corridor at Matthews Arena. For Coen, the challenge of the day was met.

Time to celebrate?

Perhaps for a few hours, then it was time to start breaking down tapes of Drexel, the Huskies' next opponent Wednesday, as a team and a coach chase the dream of an NCAA bid.

Mark Blaudschun can be reached at blaudschun@globe.com.