Thursday, Jan. 28, 2016

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Huntington News Photo by Nola Chen

Photo by Robert Smith

Photo courtesy Rich Gagnon, Hockey East

For the students, by the students since 1926

Northeastern falls in triple-overtime thriller

By Matt MacCormack News staff

After spending most of last year near the top of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings, the Northeastern men’s basketball team Back-to-back home losses have the Huskies at the seventh spot in the The week began with a bang, as NU (12-9) was overpowered by Hofstra University in a thrilling bling the pain was the loss of redshirt senior Quincy Ford, who left the game late with an apparent neck injury and didn’t return for the next faded down the stretch of its second bout, going nearly ten minutes without hitting a shot and allowing the Tigers to snatch a 79-72 upset road win over the Ford-less Hus“Without Quincy, we’re a little shorthanded,” head coach Bill “Guys had to shift roles in a very Thursday’s matchup was the most highly-anticipated game of was picked as the preseason CAA favorite by many, and Pride senior point guard Juan’ya Green entered the game as the conference’s best Photo by Alesia Garret

The Huskies went down early, vid Walker (18 points, 13 assists) tying the game with a layup with

Two tit-for-tat overtime periods couldn’t separate the two squads, and the decisive moment came in

collected an offensive rebound, the Huskies trailed, 93-92, with ten

play to review a potential shotclock violation as Walker made a out stopped the play, and NU failed

to inbound the ball once action and turnover effectively ended the BasketBall, Page 12

Aaron Carter hits afterHOURS stage DePuty sPoRts eDitoR

A familiar voice to anyone in their late teens graced After“I’m gonna take you back to the ’90s,” 1990s teen-pop sensation

Photo by Robert Smith

Aaron Carter shouted to an audience packed with Northeastern students who grew up with his songs like “I Want Candy” and “That’s Carter headlined “Throwback Thursday,” an event hosted by NiNeties, Page 8

MaRch, Page 6

The Boston Police Department (BPD) condemned the Northeastern University Police Department’s (NUPD)

NUPD guns prompt hearing ors Josh Zakim and Tito Jackson

ignore the experts and to deploy tactical weapons in our communi-

Two city councilors are calling for a hearing on Northeastern

not communicating with the surrounding area and the Boston Po-

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“Boston has the best police department in the country in large part because Commissioner Evans has led us away from militarized policing,” the councilors said in a letter to President Joseph

The open hearing is to discuss Northeastern’s handling of the situation and to “provide a forum for residents to air their concerns,” according to Kyndal Henicke, deputy chief of staff for

By Mack Hogan News staff

attention, even garnering air time

On campus, student-activist group Students Against InstituRifles, Page 8

Photo by Suma Hussein

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news

IDEA named fifth largest investor InsIde columnIst

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H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

news

crime log Compiled by Stephanie Eisemann, news staff

ENTRY OF THE WEEK

NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD NU PD

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t H u r s d ay , J a n u a ry 28, 2016

Innovation plays key role in NU Talk news corresPondent

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Northeastern University Public Safety Division Sunday, Jan. 24 @ 12:13 a.m.

An intoxicated female in the lobby of Kariotis Hall was reported. The Northeastern University Police Department (NUPD) responded and spoke to the student, who was conscious and alert but did not have any shoes. The student reported losing them in the storm. NUPD escorted the underage student to her residence in West Village B.

Sunday, Jan. 17 @ 6:03 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division An intoxicated Northeastern University (NU) student was reported in Melvin Hall. NUPD reported to the scene and found the student conscious and alert to person, place and time. The female admitted to drinking earlier in the evening.

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Sunday, Jan. 17 @ 12:34 p.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division NUPD reported approximately 50 Black Lives Matter protesters outside of Ruggles Station.

NUPD spoke with some of the protesters, who explained they planned to be there for approximately 30 minutes in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Protesters were orderly.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Monday, Jan. 18 @ 1:12 p.m.

An NU staff member called to report destruction on the ninth floor of West Village H. NUPD responded and reported damage to the ventilation cover near the elevator. A report was filed.

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Tuesday, Jan. 19 @ 11:24 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division NUPD reported noticing a female motorist hit the rear of an unmarked police vehicle parked in front of 716 Columbus Ave. The vehicle’s Massachusetts registration was checked, and the driver’s license was found to be expired. The driver also had a warrant out of Dedham Court. She was placed under arrest at 11:29 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Wednesday, Jan. 20 @ 5:02 p.m.

An RA in West Village B reported a television missing from the seventh floor common area. The device may be stolen or in possession of Information Technology Services (ITS). ITS was unable to confirm at time of report. A report was filed.

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Thursday, Jan. 21 @ 11:51 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division NUPD confiscated an altered copy of a Kenyan passport from an NU student. A report was filed.

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Northeastern University Public Safety Division Thursday, Jan. 21 @ 10:42 p.m.

NUPD reported witnessing a non-student who was intoxicated in the Matthews Arena basement. NUPD collected the subject’s information and contacted Metro Cab to drive the subject to the Hampton Inn in Revere. NUPD also confiscated the subject’s keys. The subject stated he was driving a Black Ford Fusion with Virginia plates, but could not remember where he parked or his license plate number.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Friday, Jan. 22 @ 12:32 a.m.

A Residential Safety Office supervisor reported a female, who was the guest of an NU student, appeared to be extremely intoxicated in the lobby of East Village. NUPD responded and requested Emergency Medical Services (EMS) for the Connecticut College student. EMS arrived and transported the subject to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center for evaluation. Connecticut College Campus Safety was notified. A report was filed.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Friday, Jan. 22 @ 9:34 p.m.

EMS called NUPD while heading to West Village E for an intoxicated female resident. NUPD responded and EMS transported the student to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The Residence Director (RD) on call was notified.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Saturday, Jan. 23 @ 2:41 a.m.

An intoxicated female in Speare Hall was reported. NUPD responded and spoke with the underage student, who was alert to person, place and time. She planned to stay with her friend for the evening.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division Sunday, Jan. 24 @ 2:21 a.m.

A student reported being with two friends who were upset about losing their belongings. NUPD responded and spoke to the two students, who were at a party at an unknown campus location and believed that their Burberry jacket, Citi card and NU ID were taken. A report was filed.

Sunday, Jan. 24 @ 11:47 a.m.

Northeastern University Public Safety Division An NU student reported a missing laptop and broken door to a room in Ell Hall. NUPD responded and reported the strike plate on the front two doors was broken. Work order was notified and photographs were taken. Numerous credit cards and a MacBook Air were found to be stolen.

At 5:55 p.m. an additional victim and NU student reported a headset, six cell phones and an additional laptop stolen. A report was filed.

Photo courtesy of Annie Bryant

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t h u r S d ay , j a n u a ry 28, 2016

h u n t n e W S n u. C o m

The Huntington News 295 Huntington Ave., Suite 208 Boston, MA 02115

editor-in-Chief

liam hofmeiSter

managing editor

roWan Walrath

neWS editor editorial editor inSide editor SportS editor photo editor

CaSSidy deStefano Sam haaS anna Sorokina bailey putnam robert Smith

deputy neWS editor deputy inSide editor deputy SportS editor deputy photo editorS

alejandro Serrano Sahan Weerakoon jameS duffy nola Chen & Sean lerkvikarn

Staff Directory Staff WriterS: Jose Castillo, Audrey Cooney, Stephanie Eisemann, Mack Hogan, Matthew MacCormack, Ethan Schroeder, Gordon Weigers, P.J. Wright Staff Copy editorS: ColumniStS: Jose Castillo, Sean Connolly, Alex Frandsen, Angelica Recierdo, Gwen Schanker, Kyle Taylor Web deSigner: Sabrina Kantor Opinions expressed in The Huntington News by letters, cartoonists and columnists are not necessarily those of The News staff or of the Northeastern administration. Northeastern University undergraduate students conduct all operations involved in the production of this publication.

THE NEWS WELCOMES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR & COMMENTARIES

Opinion pieces must include the writer’s full name, year, major and position at the university. Letters should be sent in the body of an email, not as attachments. Letters may not run and may be edited due to space constraints. Poems and anonymous letters are not printed. Please keep entries under 500 words. Email letters to Comments@HuntNewsNU.com.

Vol. IX No. 2

Column: Refugees deserve respect I’m not much of a fan of religion in politics. That’s not to say that religious values can’t be a good thing. I went to a Catholic school myself, and although I disagree with many of the things I was taught, there were undoubtedly positive values to be learned.

Perhaps one of the most well-known lines in the New Testament is Jesus’s commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.” It’s a saying I personally have a lot of admiration for. It’s also something I’ve heard a lot in religious discourse, and it seems to be an idea many Christians respect.

The Republican Party tends to lean toward pandering to faithful Christians. Republicans are also notorious for campaigning against immigration.

Donald Trump has made some particularly disgusting statements, but even your average “moderate” Republican will tell you how illegal immigrants steal jobs and how we need to do a better job of keeping them out. In general, immigrants are met with annoyance, if not open hostility. It seems safe Sean Connolly to assume that most people illegally entering the US are looking for a better life, searching for that famous American Dream.

Instead, they end up desperate, taking jobs for illegally low pay as they attempt to avoid deportation.

Are immigrants not our neighbors? Are they not individuals living complex, important lives? As humans, they are worthy of respect and decency.

Yet instead of helping those who come to the US, we prosecute them. Loving your neighbor, it seems, doesn’t mean helping your neighbor. At least not when that help comes at the inconvenience of Americans.

To be fair, I have to admit that the Democrats aren’t much better in regard to refugees. In the debates leading up to the Democratic primaries, the candidates have talked about foreign policy in terms that make it clear they only care about Americans, not those from other countries. They have

East, but whom none of the candidates want to help. Politicians want to keep America out of another war, not to prevent causing more turmoil for civilians but to protect American soldiers. But as they respect the US soldiers, the candidates have apparently forgotten that refugees are people as well, each with a life as sacred as anyone else’s. American lives are so important that a ground war in Syria is unacceptable because American soldiers will die. But Syrians apparently don’t deserve any US assistance, Where does empathy end and self-interest begin? This is the curse of nationalism, the belief that those who were born within the same borders as us are inherently worth more. This is why Democratic candidates can talk about bombing Syria without anyone batting an eyelid: even though US-led air strikes have killed hundreds of civilians in Syria, at least Americans aren’t dying. When Americans are killed, it’s a tragedy. When Middle Eastern civilians are killed, it’s ignored.

The whole point of bombs, drones and unmanned aircraft is that we can kill other people without risking American lives.

Love your neighbor if they were born in America. But if they weren’t, deport them or drop bombs on them.

The heavens, I’m sure, smile on our morality.

God bless America.

News illustration by David London

State prisons need reform Earlier this week, President Barack Obama signed multiple executive orders banning solitary in federal prisons and limiting its use on other federal prisoners. The measures, Obama wrote in an op-ed Monday, are aimed at curbing the practice of isolating inmates for up to 23 hours a day in small, restrictive cells. These cells often have no windows, and these prisoners – at least 10,000 a year, according to a Yale study cited by the president – are often held in such conditions for weeks or months at a time. Some inmates end up nearly forgotten in “The Box,” neglected by bureaucratic systems that strain administrators’ abilities to pay attention to everyone at once; in other facilities, prisoners are sent to solitary detention blocks haphazardly or as retribution for low-level infractions.

A 2003 Human Rights Watch report says up to two-thirds of all prisfrom “serious mental illness.” Once there, they are more likely to continue to be isolated for longer periods of time than inmates in better mental health. Sensory deprivation, social isolation and inhumane treatment are not treatment strategies; in fact, studies indicate the practices exacerbates mental illnesses in people who already have them and causes them in people who don’t.

– especially for juveniles – runs counter to the purpose of prisons.

The criminal justice system exists to repair harms against society. A great majority of people who are at one point held in prisons will return to the outside world. Their sentences are intended both to deter future crimes and adjust their behavior.

That’s why prisoners have access to job programs, religious groups,

classes, study materials, visitors and one another. There’s a reason the prison administration system is called the Department of Correcforemost to correct and rehabilitate, not to harm and isolate. posite, according to a 2007 study by researchers at the University of Washington. After release, prisoners who had been held in isolation units committed felonies at a higher rate than prisoners in regular populations, even after accounting for mental illness, criminal history and other factors relevant to the risk of reoffending. The damaging effect of pronounced the longer inmates are subjected to it. In one study, a researcher made visits to a California isolation unit multiple times over a 20-year period. The results of his interviews with prisoners are startling: more than 70 percent of isolated prisoners reported depression; 78 percent said they felt long-term residents in solitary conbreakdown,” a condition which only 4 percent of general population prisoners reported. The alarming effects of isolation continue upon relinked with anti-social behavior, holding a job, stress, depression and a much greater risk of self-harm and suicide among former inmates. only in a small range of cases, and only then for short periods of time.

Anything else is an affront to decency, a serious assault on the basic humanity of inmates and not just ineffective but actively detrimental to the goals of society and rehabili-

tation. It is also torture, according to the United Nations.

One of the most common argument asserts criminals, especially those who are so hard to control that guards relegate them to isolation units, deserve what they get.

We disagree. Criminal offenders deserve what they are sentenced to in a court of law, nothing more.

The vast majority of people sent to offenders. And even the ones who aren’t don’t deserve cruel punishment. They don’t deserve massively increased risk of suicide. They don’t deserve to be broken. The whole point of civil society is to preserve social good. Being intentionally, vindictively cruel doesn’t get us there; irreparably harming other Americans through institutionalized violence does the opposite.

We applaud the president’s moves to limit the use of such a deplorable practice in federal prisons. However, that is not enough. Currently in Massachusetts, state inmates can be held in isolation for a decade.

Juveniles can be placed in solitary ready been diagnosed with mental illnesses can be isolated for 30 days at a time. This must change. We call for the Massachusetts General Court to follow Obama’s lead and pass two bills, H. 3451 and S. 1225, that would collectively end the use under 21, severely limit its use on other inmates including those with mental illness, set up a commission to study the practice and require reviews every 15 days of prisoners sent to isolation units. While these laws may not go far enough, they aren’t a bad start. Failing to pass them would be a victory for cruelty, torture and inhumanity.

Letter: NU owes adjuncts more On Jan. 14, it was announced that Northeastern’s administration had reached a contract agreement with adjunct faculty. The announcement came almost two years after adjuncts voted to unionize and strike meant to highlight their growing frustration with a perceived lack of progress in the negotiations.

It’s a relief our teachers are no longer engaged in what was an exhausting effort to secure a contract.

But the fact that it took so long istration’s moral quality. Employthis one – in 2014, the school had an endowment of over $713 million – should never have had to bargain and beg to be paid more than poveradjuncts were asking for was not the strenuous work being done and ones that aren’t remarkably lower than those of full-time faculty; acsurance and retirement plans; and job security, giving adjuncts the ability to plan for the future and not having to live from semester to semester. Obtaining rights as basic

as these should not be like pulling teeth. Yet the university dragged its feet throughout the entire process. No amount of slick language on the part of the administration can change the fact that if not for the determination of both adjuncts and student activists, the university would have continued to take adIn an email announcing the new contract, James Bean, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, said, “The agreement was reached after the university made it clear to union leaders that their proposed work stoppage next week would not have any impact on the goes on to say that the new contract prohibits strikes and picketing for as long as the contract is in place.

These strategies have always been the sole advantage workers have against their employers. To take them away shifts the balance of power between adjuncts and administration from unbalanced to completely one-sided. It’s hard to see why the university would insist on including that provision if not to restrict adjuncts’ capacity to advocate for themselves.

In his email, Bean claims this measure will “ensure that the faculty’s focus remains where it should: on student learning.” This is an act of pure manipulation by the administration. To insinuate that going on strike would demonstrate a lack of commitment to their students insults adjuncts and diminishes their cause. Justice for adjuncts equates to a better education for students.

Lack of resources for instructors trickles down to have negative effects on those receiving instruction, something the administration doesn’t seem to understand.

Adjunct instructors are an indispensable part of the university, but the administration, it’s fair to say, only changed its shameful policies regarding adjuncts because it got caught. Who knows what other devious practices the university employs, only because up until this point it’s been able to get away with them? Students should endeavor to not object to such a scrutiny.

An administration that values its should have nothing to fear.

- Audrey Cooney is a sophomore journalism major.

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citypulse

GE moves headquarters to Innovation District news corresPondent After more than 40 years in Fair-

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Photo by Charles Steiner

General Electric Co. is making its headquarters in Boston, creating opportunities for NU students on co-op and recent graduates.

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The Boston Universtiy Theatre, home of the Huntington Theatre Company, is in the process of being sold to an unnamed investment group.

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Boston rated No. 1 in US for income inequality managing editor

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A Brookings Institution report found Boston to be No. 1 in the country for income inequality, just after Los Angeles and Atlanta.

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Freshman Sarah Carter looks at the CityScore website on her computer. Data shown pertain to shootings, stabbings, library use and trash collection.

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CRASHfest transforms House of Blues Boston

By Anna Sorokina InsIde edItor

Afro-Brazilian samba, wild boar bolognese and temporary tattoos – this, together with other eclectic combinations, transformed the House of Blues into an indoor music festival venue to remind snowy Boston of true summer vibes.

CRASHfest hit the stage on Sunday, Jan. 24 with a mix of global, folk and indie music.

World Music/CRASHarts, a nonconcerts and educational programs in greater Boston, put the act together to promote cultural discovery through music. World Music presented 10 bands from around the globe, ranging from Monsieur Periné, a Colombian band that performs jazz, pop and swing, to Angélique Kidjo, a Beninese-born American Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter.

Besides showcasing a worldly combination of bands, CRASHfest impressed the audience with three different stages, each with its own atmosphere. At 5 p.m., everyone was getting ready for the At the stage dedicated to Boston acts, which looked like a casual jazz bar, people were grabbing drinks and getting the taste of the night’s specials –- classic paella and roasted prawns with olives. spiritual entity seen as a mother, lover and warrior, has been bridging cultures for 12 years by bringing an individual cultural blend to mizik rasin (roots music), Jamaican reggae, Afro-Cuban son and African-American genres including spirituals, blues, jazz and neosoul, the group creates diverse music.

When Kera Washington founded the band 16 years ago, the idea she had in mind was to showcase female musicians.

“I didn’t want to hear any more ‘Oh look at that girl on the drums!’ from anyone,” Washington said. “I was tired of this being a phenomenon; I wanted it to be more commonplace.”

However, Washington was unhad to recruit some male musiRoots. Soon, Washington realized tial goal of proving to the world that females are equally talented at playing musical instruments.

According to Washington, she felt like the male band members acted as if they were more knowledgeable than women. to recruit enough female memMisik. Now, the band performs regularly at colleges, schools, festivals and performing arts venues throughout the country.

While the stage for Boston acts es were far from silent.

Foundation Room – another stage of CRASHfest – is a cozy space adorned with old rugs, elegant chandeliers, dim lighting, sounds of cello, tenor banjo and McCalla Trio entered the stage.

American performer who sings in French, Haitian Creole and English.

“I studied classical cello for a lot of my life and graduated from NYU [New York University] in 2007 and [realized that] classical music wasn’t going to do it for me,” McCalla said.

While working as a waitress at a bar in New York, she met many musicians who played everything from African music to jazz.

“It just really inspired me, seeing all these musicians living in a way that I wasn’t being taught I could live,” McCalla said. “That’s when I started playing in a lot of different bands, learning to play more by ear. I relocated to New Orleans in 2010... with the intened to do with music.”

Born in New York City to Haitian immigrant parents, McCalla experienced a sense of connection with her Haitian heritage after moving to the Crescent City.

“Cello is used in a lot of music that I call traditional, like Creole and Haitian folk,” McCalla said. “[My] music is largely informed by traditional music that people have been playing for years, for decades, for hundreds of years.”

With her music, McCalla likes to explore what it’s like to be in the singer-songwriter scene as a minority.

“I feel like I have all of these identities, I come from different places,” McCalla said.

One of the event’s headliners, Kishi Bashi took the main stage at 8 p.m. His music immediately ed cheers in the audience.

Kishi Bashi is the stage name and a self-produced project of Kaoru Ishibashi, a singer-songwriter violinist known for his work with the electro-pop group Jupiter One and the indie band Of Montreal. “[Violin is a way to] stand out in the sea of songwriting,” Ishibashi said.

When he played music with Of Montreal, it was Kevin Barnes, the band’s lead singer, who gave “He wanted the crazy sounds I was getting out of the violin,” Ishibashi said.

Yet another addition to the cultural aspect of CRASHfest, Ishibashi believes that when he sings in Japanese, it adds an extra dimension to the lyrics, which he used as musical tool.

However, Ishibashi is not planning on sticking with his current music style forever. According to Ishibashi, it is his dream to collaborate with orchestras as well as to branch out into a completely ence,” Ishibashi said.

With seven other culturally diverse bands performing at CRASHfest throughout the night, the audience members learned about different styles and genres of music they rarely hear on the radio.

Pnakamani Pega, an audience member, commented on CRASHfest’s goal to promote cultural discovery.

“Being aggressive fails to educate, so we need to do it from the point of love – through music,” Pega said.

Monsieur Periné, a music group from Colombia, skillfully performs genres such as jazz, pop and swing.

Musician Kishi Bashi impresses with his virtuoso violin solo, provoking excited cheers in the audience.

Photos by Anna Sorokina

The Dhol Foundation’s member plays the drums, exposing the beauty of bhangra music, generally unknown by the public.

Boston Festival of Films exposes truth from Iran

By Caroline Boschetto news corresPondent

A former drug dealer, a jealous husband, a mother of an imprisoned student and a drug-addicted man; “Tales.” In Mohsen Makhamalbaf’s “The President,” a brutal dictator faces his own regime’s injustices when his country is taken over by

revolutionaries.

The Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) is hosting its 22nd Boston Festival of Films from Iran continuing until Jan. 31. Produced by Iranian directors and

event, “Melbourne,” to the artistic documentary “Monir” that focuses on the life and work of Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.

represent the current state of Iranian society with its social and political issues. The series includes diverse genres, ranging from the drama about a young couple involved in a tragic

cieties, Iran has a rather large class divide, and this was a good representation of the most unfortunate,” Reza

English and Georgian, with English

Kalhor, an Iranian-born immigrant to Boston, said.

Rakhshan Bani-E’temad, the dithe hardships affecting Iran’s women, including domestic abuse, addiction and suicide.

Vanzant, a Brookline resident, said.

“We have little knowledge of contemporary Iran, and what we do have is politically-tainted.”

“Tales” also delves into Iranian unemployment, bureaucratic corruption and restricted speech.

I think they’re a good representation for Americans and an interesting interpretation of the culture,” Nancy

see for my family in Iran because of censorship,” Kalhor said.

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H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

CRUISR and Soft Pyramids invoke summer feels

By Sarah Keneipp news corresPondent

CRUISR and Soft Pyramids, two east-coast bands, kicked off the spring semester at afterHOURS with performances that brought warmer vibes to the chilly Northeastern campus.

To start the night off, Soft Pyramids, a Somerville-based band, brought indie rock sounds to Northeastern’s music venue. The audience welcomed them to the stage and laughed at their witty banter about performing next to Starbucks.

“It’s fun getting to the party with the barista. He’s dancing with the espresso over there,” said drummer Matthew Glover.

The band played songs to bop your head along to, like “Around “Fossils of the Free World” and properly warmed up the audience for CRUISR. The Council of University Programs (CUP) organized the show. “[CRUISR] have a fun, beachy sound,” Caroline Rapta, CUP’s Spring Small Concert chair, said.

At the beginning of the academic year, CUP sent out a survey to Northeastern students to get idea of what kind of acts they would be interested in seeing.

“We have to have a gauge of what students want to see on campus,” Rapta said. “Once we have an idea of who we want to see, I reach out to their agent and take into account the budget for the semester.”

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CRUISR plays catchy tunes to get the audience dancing. mographic, a genre that the majority get rid of those people together,” of students who completed the sur- States said of “Throw Shade.” vey preferred.

The main hook of the song, “If The main act, a Philadelphia- you wanna throw shade/I’m gonna based band, is known for its feel- throw you away,” achieves States’ good beach rock. It previously goal of creating catchy tunes peoopened for The 1975 during 2014 ple want to dance to.

North American Tour and played at The band also played some older tunes they recorded but never reyears last year. leased to the public.

As soon as the band stepped foot “We bring back these songs for on stage, lead singer Andy States the people we think are special – got the crowd dancing with tracks you guys are special,” States said.

“Throw Shade” and “All Over.” The After the show, both bands stuck crowd sang along and clapped their around at afterHOURS to mingle hands to the beat. and take photographs with the fans.

“This is the song to all the people “Thanks for turning up on a that treat you like trash, so let’s Tuesday,” States said.

Photos by Robert Smith

Soft Pyramids bring feel-good music to the audience.

Photos by Robert Smith

Teen pop star transports audience to 1990s nInetIes, From Page 1

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“We focus on bringing live acts dinator and fourth-year communications major Samuel Francis said.

“That involves a group effort in getting the best acts we can.” rock and indie-electronica artists.

But when the opportunity to bring Carter to campus became plausible, Francis reached out to the singer’s agents.

“When fate brings Aaron Carter to your door, you don’t say no. This is Aaron’s party,” he said, paying homage to Carter’s hit 2000 album, “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It).”

When Carter sang “I Want Candy” the crowd shouted his lyrics right back at him.

“I can still sing ‘I Want Candy’ in the same key,” Carter said. “But I think my new music will supercede my old stuff.”

Although the event was meant to be a “Throwback Thursday,”

Carter didn’t play many of his old songs, which might have been disappointing for those who were eager to dive into the sweet memories of their childhood.

However, by Carter’s second song the crowd was singing the chorus along with him.

“All of this is stuff that I’ve been through,” Carter said. “I think this is the best way for my fans to understand who I am now.”

Carter nearly ran into issues during the show, when he pulled audience members on the stage in violation of afterHOURS rules. nearly stepped in before Carter agreed to follow the rules.

Kristen Garcia, an event volungraduate student was excited to see Carter play at Northeastern.

“He was a huge part of the ‘90s,” she said.

Another volunteer, undeclared freshman Clare Cullinan, is a selfproclaimed Aaron Carter superfan.

“In 10th grade there was a lipsync competition at my high school,” she explained. “I dressed up like Aaron and sang ‘I Want Candy,’ so you could say I’m a big fan.”

“Camino 84,” opened for Carter. and knew this would be a unique experience for him.

“I’ve gotten to open up for a lot of musicians that I’m a fan of, but this is a special experience,” he said.

Carter’s upcoming album, “Fool’s Gold,” is a product of a decade of hard work. Carter describes himself as the executive producer, writer, label and number one investor of the project.

“This time, I get a chance to do it all on my own,” he said. “I’m putting out what’s really inside me.” a promise that he would be back to Northeastern – sooner or later.

Photos by Suma Hussein

Top: Aaron Carter interacts with the audience at afterHOURS. Bottom left: Carter presents his new songs to the students. Bottom right: The crowd sings along with the teen pop star.

H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

t H u r s d ay , J a n u a ry 28, 2016

calendar Entry of the Week

Northeastern gets another chance to win at Beanpot Monday, Feb. 1 As Huskies, we never give up at the Beanpot, and this could be the year we win it all. Northeastern has long been the underdog in this annual battle of the Boston universities, with its last men’s championship win in 1988. In the first round of the Beanpot Northeastern will face Boston University while Boston College will play Harvard University. The winners of each game will then duke it out for the Beanpot trophy, while the losers will battle for third 10 p.m.; $30-40.

Photo courtesy Britt Reints, Creative Commons

Calendar by Sahan Weerakoon, Deputy Inside Editor

Page 9

New Orleans takes its time, always New Orleans knows how to take its time. Slow like honey and smooth like bourbon, there’s neither a last call nor a shortage of soulful music. Most tourists visit for a weekend, usually for the infamous Mardi Gras. I stayed for a week, to locals’ surprised approval, and it still wasn’t enough time to learn from “The Big Easy.”

The People that Rebuild Their accent has a faster tempo than other Southerners’, like they’re excited to be a part of something. It’s light – words skipping off teeth.

The men will talk to you like they’re courting you, and the women will lean in close like all the pieces of wisdom they carry are coveted secrets. New Orleans knows how to roll up its sleeves. The people are gifted artisans, turning things like Nike shoe boxes into orange cardboard lions and junk car parts into religious relics. Industrial chic is a specialty here, which makes sense with the spirit of restoration that the city thrives on even a decade after Hurricane Katrina. A lot of people stayed during the aftermath, showing that home is not something to abandon. There is courage in hospitality. It doesn’t take much to ignore someone sitting next to you at a bar, but to welcome them with warmth over a cold draft beer takes a truly amiable person.

The Food that Satiates

Thursday, Jan. 28

Friday, Jan. 29

Saturday, Jan. 30

The play “Convert” opens at the Central Square today, telling the story of a young girl forced into an arranged marriage. Jekesai, a

If you’re looking for a live theater experience with a possible side of wild debauchery, “Bye

It’s not often that one can learn the ily, Whiskey Rebellion Boston is this Saturday. It features whiskey producers and suppliers, so participants will walk away with knowledge of the distillation process.

Cocktail demonstrations will fea-

tribe, converts to Christianity. As anti-European sentiments rise among her nation’s people, she has to choose between a colonial or ancestral way of life. Jekesai then becomes the servant and protégé of an African minister.

Written by award-winning playdeals with the complex topic of European colonization and the babwe’s history. Central Square Theatre, 450 Massachusetts Ave.,

Sunday, Jan. 31

comedy, dramatic scenes and interactive social games combine to make a raucous and hilarious night out. The show will feature some of the best talent in the Boston comedy community, of Hennessy’s Pub in the Faneuil perfect for romantic dates, birthday parties and casual nights out because it offers attendees the chance to watch comedians perform not only without scripts, but also while genuinely drunk.

25 Union St.; 8 – 10 p.m.; $20; 21+.

bon, perfect for an alcohol glutton.

A ticket covers the demonstration, a sampling of up to 12 whiskeys Rebellion sold out fast, so don’t miss your chance to experience some distilled goodness. Monroe 21+.

Tuesday, Feb. 2

Wednesday, Feb. 3

Nick Kroll, of the Kroll Show and other ventures, and John Mulaney, who has graced the world with several Comedy Central specials, will take the stage as their long-time characters Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland in “Oh, Hello.” The fictional Faizon works as a stand-in model for mashed potatoes and other creamed foods, while St. Geegland is a former author and professor at fictional SUNY Yonkers. After the grand success of their hit prank show “Too Much Tuna,” Gil Faizon and George St. Geegland will leave NYC for the first time in more than 40 years to bring their show to The Wilbur in Boston. 246 Tremont St.; 4 p.m.; $50

Come see upcoming and established actors at the Emerson Col-

Whether one needs a great date idea or just wants to get a new hobby, they should go to MIT for an introduction to swing danc-

FIlm,

festival multiple times over the past 10 years.

“I always come to the Turkish and

Tuesday and Thursday, the festival will give attendees a taste of a muling system highlighting feminist or minority, comedies and social

Hop, the original form of swing and an echo of spinster life from the Roaring ‘20s. There will be a variety of music including blues and hip-hop in addition to classic swing music to teach dancers how versatile the dance style can be. The class is all-inclusive, so beginners are welcome as well as veteran swingers. A partner is not necessary – so come out, dance and make some friends with your new partners in swing. 77 Massa-

Savory is the word that links all menus here. Everything is fried, and the closest thing to a vegetable is creamed spinach – or rather, spinached cream. The city’s jambalaya, etouffee. The seafood rivals Angelica Recierdo The Annotated Muse

innovations never experienced before.

beignets, pralines or pecans. New Orleans cuisine doesn’t have to try very hard to impress, and the best dishes have been passed down from generations past. However, for the hip restaurateur, there is nothing quite like soul-fusion food; anything with Creole or Cajun attached to it already elevates taste exponentially. When alligator sausage is on the menu, it is not for the faint of heart – or stomach.

New World, Old World, Underworld Culture There’s something raw about the people here – the grunge, the voodoo, the underground music scene. There’s history in the streets, bearing evidence of both French and Spanish rule. In a rundown shack tucked away in the French Quarter is Preservation Hall, a no-

cians our autotuned ears will ever hear. peace. The swamps are surprisingly meditative – a stillness lingering in the wispy Spanish moss trees. Plantations are striking, with big oak trees leading to grand white mansions and looming green pastures.

The slave quarters outside invite visitors to peek into the darkest parts that most visitors don’t get a chance to explore because they’re on Bourbon Street all day and night. New Orleans is much more than Mardi Gras. Many different worlds and times live here. The hip Magazine Street has every boutique and café the modern consumer needs to visit. The cargo ships on the Mississippi are reminiscent of a slower New Orleans may be a city that takes its time but it won’t wait for you. They have a lot of pride and a lot to prove to the rest of the world that they work just as hard as they kick back. New Orleans is buckets of fried chicken one night and oysters on white tablecloths the next. It’s swanky jazz clubs and dim dive bars. It’s a hurricane and then a new dawn. Expect to leave with resilience in your pocket along with the beads around your neck.

gofundme.com/ HuntNewsNU MFA teaches about societal issues through film From Page 7

Makhmalbaf’s “The President”, Jafar Panahi’s “Taxi” and Ali Ahmadzadeh’s “Atomic Heart” – have been banned in Iran. Actress Fatemeh Motamed-Aria, featured in both “Avalanche” and “Tales” was banned from acting for several years because of her public activism for women’s rights and political reform.

“Censorship has a huge impact on Fotouhi, executive director of festival the ministry of culture in Iran… and be screened. It’s an uphill battle for so happy that we get to show their Marina Kasvaglis, a Greek immigrant to Boston, has attended the

“American Beatboxer,” is a documentary that follows the crowning

evolution of beat-boxing, as well as its place as a forgotten part of hip-hop. 559 Washington St. 4th

the Iranian festival stands out,” Kasvaglis said. “I’m amazed because so much of Iran is conservative, religious, and has negative stereotypes…

I was astounded at how progressive According to Kasvaglis, watchviewers the chance to make deeper cultural links.

“I met some Iranians and told them I’d seen some movies from their country, and it gave me the opportunity to form a different kind of connection and conversation,” Kasvaglis said.

Still sitting in his lime-green theater seat, Iranian immigrant Sina Bonyadi described his perspective on

Makhmalbaf, a man who attempted to assassinate an Iranian soldier at age dictator and a violent revolution.

“I really liked it because it is the story of my country,” Bonyadi said.

The Boston Festival of Films from Iran and the MFA’s other cultural exhibitions aim to promote understanding and appreciation of cultures beyond each viewer’s personal heritage. “[America] is not like other countries where [citizens] just relate to a certain race or denomination, so it is important for people to be exposed to these kinds of movies,” Amir Mesgar, who immigrated to America 15 years ago with his wife, said. “It demonstrates the reality in the [Iranian] community, different from what we see in the news. It is very important that we come and see these

Photo by Robert Smith

MFA welcomes visitors to 22nd Boston Festival of Films from Iran.

t H u r s d ay , J a n u a ry 28, 2016

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H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

sports

Men’s hockey extends win streak to six games

By Gordon Weigers news staff

The Northeastern men’s hockey team (9-12-4, 4-8-3 Hockey East) added to its unbeaten streak last weekend with a two-game sweep of the Merrimack Warriors. The Huskies have now won six straight games and have not lost since Dec. 6.

The team’s 5-2 and 4-1 victories over the Warriors earned it some respect in the USCHO.com national poll, receiving two top 25 votes.

After sitting at the bottom of the Hockey East standings for the majority of the season, Northeastern now ranks in eighth place and has one of the easier remaining schedules in the conference, with one remaining conference game against a top-six team (Feb. 5 at University of Massachusetts-Lowell).

Northeastern’s offense is at its most potent of the season. Leading the way in points once again this weekend was the line of senior Mike McMurtry, freshman Adam Gaudette and sophomore Dylan Sikura. The trio racked up a combined 10 points for the second weekend in a row.

The new year has treated Gaudette well after going through nine games without a point before the Jan. 2 game against Quinnipiac. Since the calendar turned, Gaudette is tied for freshmen (three goals, nine assists) and was tabbed as the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week for his threepoint weekend against Merrimack.

NU and Merrimack opened the weekend at Lawler Arena in North Andover on Friday night. After coning home a loose puck in front of the net. Merrimack reclaimed the lead early in the second, but McMurtry struck back when he notched the game-tying goal from the side of the cage later in the frame.

Late in the second period, freshfrom junior Sam Kurker and snuck it underneath goalie Collin Delia to give the Huskies a lead that they would not relinquish. Junior John Stevens scored 29 seconds into the third period, followed by another strike from Sikura to clinch the 5-2 triumph, the Hus-

kies’ fourth straight win on the road.

“Those two big goals [in the third period] created some separation for ourselves,” head coach Jim Madigan said after the game.

Friday marked the return of Northeastern captain Kevin Roy, who down with an upper-body injury in November. Roy picked up two assists over the course of the weekend and seemed to be back to his former self, according to Madigan.

“I thought he had a lot of energy,” Madigan said. “This was probably one of his best games all year long.”

Northeastern rolled their offensive momentum into Saturday night’s tilt at Matthews Arena.

Gaudette got Northeastern on the in behind Delia on a power play for the 1-0 advantage. Gaudette’s goal celebration got the Doghouse crowd amped as he slid on oneknee while rubbing the ice with his glove before leaping into the glass.

After Merrimack leveled the score at 1-1, sophomore Nolan Stevens drove hard to the net and beat Delia for the 2-1 lead. In the third period, Sikura blasted a slapshot into the topright corner on the power play for the 3-1 edge. Junior Zach Aston-Reese ended all hopes of a late Merrimack two minutes, making it a 4-1 win.

The Huskies showed a lot of grit in the last two minutes of the game on Saturday night, proving that their old tendency of coughing up a lead when it counts the most is a thing of the past. Merrimack called a timeout with 1:49 left in the game to plan a comeback bid, trailing 3-1. After the timeout, the line of Nolan Stevens, John Stevens and Aston-Reese completely shut down any chance of the Warriors getting back into the game.

They kept the puck in the Merrimack zone for the remainder of the game, culminating in the Aston-Reese goal.

“We had the line of the two Stevens boys and Aston-Reese who are real heavy, strong players,” Madigan said. “It was the perfect line for our sake to get pucks in deep and just try and pin them in.”

Next on the docket for the Huskies is the 64th annual Beanpot tournament at TD Garden. Northeastern will take on Boston University at 8 p.m., Monday, Feb. 1.

Photos courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

NU track & field excels at Donahue games

By P.J. Wright news staff

It was another great outing for the Northeastern University (105.5 points) place and the women in third (86.5 points) place at the annual Joe Donahue games at Reggie Lewis Center on Friday, Jan. 22. that NU has hosted the event named end, throwing coach and Hall of Fame inductee at NU; who died of pancreatic cancer on Oct. 10, 2011.

Everyone participating, in-

to put it all out there every race.

“My mindset for every meet is to just go out and win, no matter what it takes,” Duffey said. “If I win, I must have ran well, and the faster I run, the more opportunities I have to run at championship meets.”

Sophomore Ryan Kim came home with the top spot in the shot put with a new personal best of 16.86 meters, which put him fourth on the game’s top performance

list. Freshman Shawn Bleichert ing second in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.20 seconds.

In the relay events, the team of three freshmen – Patrice Williams, Amy Piccolo, and Katie Hanlon – along with senior veteran Camille Gooden had a great day on the women’s side, winning the 4x400 Freshman Danae Bucci also

put together a tremendous performance with the best mark in the high jump at 1.71 meters, and she earned second on the all-time performance list at the games. senior Nicole Genard in shot put (5.74m) and senior Jacilyn Briggs in pole vault (3.75 meters).

Both programs have looked incredibly strong early on, and with newcomers making a tremen-

dous impact so far, the team has more potential than ever.

“We are in shape to win the New England Championship for the second year in a row,” Duffey said. “We are a deep team, and with everyone healthy, there is no stopping us.”

The Red and Black will next head over to Boston University’s Terrier Classic on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 29 and 30.

wore purple bibs in order to raise awareness for those who are affected by pancreatic cancer.

With 11 new personal bests on the day, the Huskies registered a new meet record, and came The University of Rhode Island earned the top spot on the men’s side with 112 points, while the Universithe women’s side with 154 points.

Junior Paul Duffey led the way place victories. He won the distance medley teamed with freshmen Chris Jewett and Collin Rowe and sophomore Christian Stafford, and Duffey came out with the fastest time in the 1000-meter run, coming across at 2:28.86. in the 800-meter run at Northeastern, knows that if he wants to compete at the highest level, he has

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

t H u r s d ay , J a n u a ry 28, 2016

P a g e 11

sports Defense leads Huskies to11th straight win

By James Duffy dePuty sPorts editor

Just like Spinal Tap’s amps, the Northeastern University (NU) women’s ice hockey team’s winning streak goes to 11.

The University of Connecticut (UConn) was the latest challenge to the Huskies’ success over the weekend, but like so many teams before it, UConn couldn’t contain the explosive NU offense.

The defense drove the scoring, as blueliners combined for four goals and 10 assists over the weekend.

The games showed a striking parallel to last weekend’s series against the University of Maine.

The Huskies dominated UCocruising to an easy 4-0 win on Friday, Jan. 22, before playing a tighter game that ended 7-3 after a third period explosion.

Head coach Dave Flint chalked up the inconsistency to focus.

“We scored early on Saturday and sat back,” he said. “The key for us is to stay focused from game to game.”

Freshman goalie Brittany Bugalski carried the team to the sweep and in the process retook the reigns for the starting job.

“She’s going to get the start on Friday against New Hampshire,”

Flint said of the rookie tender.

“After that, I’ll evaluate the situation again and see who’ll start Bugalski turned aside all 15 shots she faced en route to her second collegiate shutout.

Even though Bugalski needed no help to notch the win, the Husky offense lit the lamp four times on the night.

Sophomore forward Paige Savage opened up scoring just 49 seconds into the game by picking up a rebound in the slot and depositing the loose change. forward Shelby Herrington did her best Savage impression, collecting a loose puck the net for a goal of her own.

From that point on, NU cruised to a dominant win.

UConn wouldn’t take the ever, and pushed back hard the next afternoon on home ice. board when senior forward Kendall Coyne tallied her 35th goal of the season, the most in the nation.

UConn struck back soon riod clinging to a 3-2 lead.

Junior goalie Sarah Foss – NU’s

starter for the game – was pulled in favor of Bugalski after letting up three goals on just seven shots.

From that point on, Bugalski and the defense were lights out. of which were stopped by Bugalski. in the net in the last 40 minutes.

Sophomore defenseman Lauren Kelly had a career day, Senior blueliner Jordan Krause tacked on a goal of her own, and Coyne added an empty netter with nine seconds left for good measure.

In standard Husky fashion, the team took a game that was close through two periods and ended it in a 7-3 blowout.

Flint had high praise for his defenders, who were a force in all three zones.

“Defense will win you championships,” he said, citing an old adage.

Moving forward, the schedule gets much stiffer for the Huskies.

The team will host New Hampshire on Friday, Jan. 29 before kicking off the Beanpot against Boston University on Tuesday, Feb. 2.

“This is crunch time,” Flint said, looking forward. “These are the games we need to win.”

Photos Courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

NU places second at Dartmouth Invitational

By Gordon Weigers news staff

The Northeastern women’s swimming and diving team earned a s mouth College Invitational last weekend.

In a meet with four teams, the Huskies went head-to-head with Dartmouth College, University of Massachusetts-Amherst and Boston College (BC). Northeastern smothered UMass 238-115 and beat Boston College 278.50-74.50.

The triumph over BC was the largest dual-meet margin of victory on the weekend. Dartmouth earned the upper hand against Northeastern, outswimming the Huskies by

place. The meet was Dartmouth’s 0-4.

The Upper Valley Aquatic Center in White River Junction, Vt., hosted the swimming events of the weekend.

Christine Leong, Delaney Lanker, Taylor Ellis and Rachel Green teamed up in the 200 medley relay and set a new-meet record with lis also set a new pool record in the 100 backstroke, edging out the previous record by .21 seconds. of 2:05.01.

Sophomore showing i

Sara

Touchette-

ing the pool record with a time of 56.16.

The diving portion of the meet took place on Dartmouth’s campus at the Karl Michael Pool.

Sophomore diver Jacquelyn Gover nabbed 234 points in the threemeter dive, which was good for a “This weekend’s meet was our best performance of the season,” head coach Roy Coates said. “I couldn’t be prouder of our team.”

The meet marked Coates’ return to Dartmouth, where he served as an assistant coach for four years prior to his 23-year tenure with the Huskies.

The Huskies take on LIU Brooklyn at Barletta Natatorium for senior day at 2 p.m., Saturday.

Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics

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H u n t n e w s n u. c o m

sports

Hofstra outlasts Huskies in marathon game BasketBall, from Page 1 game.

“We had a different lineup on r in a late game situation, and guys were out of spots. We probably should’ve got a timeout in that instance, and that’s a failure of execution on my part,” Coen said.

Moments later, Ford dove for a loose ball, and came up injured.

Coen said the forward is day-today.

In the end, Green proved too much for the Huskies to handle.

The veteran guard teamed with emerging 6’9” sophomore center Rokas Gustys (23 points, 20 rebounds) for a deadly pick-and-roll combo for which the Huskies had no answer.

when the Towson Tigers (14-7) hit Towson entered the game with the top-ranked scoring defense in the CAA, and the Huskies offense sputtered: Coen’s squad shot just 28 lowed Towson to score 28 points off 16 turnovers.

“I thought that’s where our fatigue kind of showed,” Coen said.

“We threw some lazy half-court passes which led to immediate scores and their defense is so stingy you don’t want to give them easy baskets either off turnovers or off the backboard.”

With Ford sidelined, Walker took over. The senior tallied a careerhigh 32 points (13-14 free throws), but only Williams (15 points)

[Green],” Coen said. “He’s got well around the hoop.”

The effects of Thursday’s marathon took a toll on the Huskies

far this season.

Coming out of the half, the Hus-

kies looked much more aggressive, and NU even took a brief 30-29 lead after Williams hit two free throws with 17:25 to play. After trading baskets for several minutes, Towson pieced together a 16-0 run that stretched until the four-minute mark.

Sophomore guard Mike Morsell (15 points) and junior forward John Davis (20 points, 11 rebounds) keyed the run, as Northeastern goal.

A silver lining in the loss was the emergence of Williams, who entered the starting lineup after dealing with injury and inconsistency early in the season.

“His explosion seems to be back,” Coen said of his junior guard. “He got to the basket today against their physical defense and we need that from T.J.” Next up, the Huskies will look to get on track with a Thursday night game at The College of Charleston.

Photo by Alesia Garret

Celtics on track for 50-win season With a little over half of the NBA season in the books and All-Star weekend just a few weeks away, the Celtics have put themselves in a pristine position to close out the season. Celtics fans have had plenty to cheer about this year, and if taking the then-undefeated Warriors to double overtime is a testament, they’re doing far better than expected.

At the start of the season, I wrote an article that said the Celtics would have a 55-win season. While they have certainly lost games that they should have won, vice-versa is true, as well. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder emerged as the leaders on the Celtics, both having spectacular seasons, and have time and time again been the spark and the playmakers needed when the game is on the line.

They have a soon-to-be All-Star – or All-Star snub – in Thomas. Thomas is the craftiest scorer in the league and an absolute work horse. You will that?” multiple times while watching him make defenders look silly. He is the facilitator on the Celtics and has an amazing knack for scoring, especially considering he is only 5 feet 8 inches tall. While his defense leaves a lot to be desired, the Celtics would not have made it this far without his scoring capabilities. Thomas is one

Photo by Alesia Garret

averaging 20 points and 6.5 assists.

The other four players are Damian Lillard, James Harden, John Wall and Russell Westbrook. Thomas has the highest plus-minus rating of the group and is ninth in the league. To leave him out of the All-Star game would be a major snub and a sign that the coaches fail to acknowledge the importance that Isaiah Thomas has to the Celtics’ overall success.

Jae Crowder has been critical to the team’s success as well. Crowder’s proven to be like red wine: he only got better with time. When the Celtics acquired Crowder from the Dallas Mavericks during the 2014-2015 season, he averaged 9.5 points and 4.6 rebounds on 28 percent shooting in 57 games wearing green. This season, Crowder’s numbers have been on an upward trend since the start. For the month of January, Crowder has scored 17 points per game, grabbed 5 rebounds, and has shot 46 percent.

He is having a career year on all fronts, and in close games it has often been his plays that have given the Celtics what they need to tip the scale in

Hurting Huskies drop two

him indispensable to the system that head coach Brad Stevens has crafted, especially because he will become a free agent this year.

But it has not just come from these two. The bench has been superb, and when Crowder and Thomas falter, another steps up in their place. Kelly

racked up 14 unanswered points, opening a lead that NU was unable to overcome.

utes and tallied 10 points.

Led by Montagne and senior forward Samantha DeFreese, who notched a team-high 15 points, the Huskies shot 43 percent from the

well, especially in clutch situations. Evan Turner has aided the Celtics by providing matchup issues and playmaking.

Brad Stevens has been excellent this year, making the necessary ingame adjustments and late-game play calls to seal out wins. Since the start of the season, he has benched David Lee and Tyler Zeller after having

in the fourth quarter.

“We became way too cautious and we stopped attacking,” head coach Kelly Cole said. “We kept waiting for the perfect shot and ended up with too many turnovers.”

Despite the offensive struggles, the team had its best defensive showing in weeks, holding the high-scoring Dragons to 53 points.

Cole credited the defensive improvements to the team’s settling into a new system.

“The 2-3 [zone defense] is still something that is relatively new to us, but I think it’s starting to click,” she said.

Moving forward, Cole stressed rebounding and defense as two keys to success.

The team will be back on the court on Friday, Jan. 29, against host Elon University, before travelling to Virginia to take on the College of William & Mary on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Johnson and Jared Sullinger have replaced the duo as power forward and center, respectively. Both Sullinger and Johnson have produced well, but the Celtics are still in need of a superior rebounder and interior defender to accompany the stellar backcourt defense they have in Marcus Smart and Avery Bradley.

David Lee has seen his minutes dwindle away into nothing as of late, and it is safe to say that the 11-year veteran will be looking for a new place to work come the offseason when he becomes a free agent. Without his hefty contract following him around, Lee can hope for a nice deal on a competing team. nitely on track to make the playoffs barring anything disastrous. While I stand by my statement that the Celtics still don’t have what it takes to win a championship this season, I could not be much happier with the team I am watching. With a plethora of young talent developing nicely, the Celtics have options on how they want to play their cards in building a championship team. There is no need for any “tanking” in hopes of a better draft pick, since they already hold the sure lottery pick of the Brooklyn Nets. All they have to do is compete.

The Celtics are just a hop, skip and a jump away from being contenders once again. At this point in the season, the Celtics have a high possibility of landing anywhere between 50-55 wins. If the missing pieces can be put together, the Celtics may be popping champagne in the locker room again, sooner than anyone would have thought.

- Kyle Taylor can be reached at sports@huntnewsnu.com.

By James Duffy dePuty sPorts editor

Hampered by injuries and bad weather, the rocky season for Northeastern University (NU) women’s basketball continued last weekend.

The Huskies dropped a game against Hofstra University 75-50 before having their home contest with the Drexel University Dragons pushed back a day due to a blizzard.

When that game was eventually played, the Dragons overcame win at the Cabot Center.

Sophomore guard Claudia Ortiz, the Huskies’ second-leading scorer, and freshman guard Te’Erica Eason, who has started eight games this season, were both sidelined all weekend with concussions.

With Ortiz and Eason injured, senior guard Tiffany Montagne stepped son at Hofstra.

Things got away from the Huskies quickly. After NU freshman forward Gabriella Giacone hit a layup for Hofstra

The team had no answer for Hofstra sophomore guard Kelly Loftus, who put up 21 points in the game.

Senior guard Kazzidy Stewart led the Huskies with 11 points and junior center Francesca Sally added 10, but it was not enough to overcome the Pride, who came away with the win.

With their Sunday matchup with Drexel delayed due to weather, NU had to wait until Monday night for their shot to get back into the win column.

The Huskies opened strong, holdtaking a 10-point lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the tables turned and Drexel took over.

Propelled by junior forward Sarah

Curran, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second, the Dragons cut the third, and eventually came away with a 53-49 victory.

Montagne, making her second start of the year for NU in Ortiz’s absence, played a season-high 35 min-