PC’s Geoff McDermott looks for help as he finds himself sandwiched on the floor by Northeastern’s Vinny Lima, left, and Matt Janning, as they try to steal the ball during first-half action last night.

The Providence Journal / Ruben W. Perez

PROVIDENCE — How is that for openers?

With a spirited crowd on hand and the excitement of a new season in the air, the Northeastern Huskies spoiled the party last night and stunned the Providence College Friars, 70-66, at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.

The Huskies played well from start to finish, making a host of big shots in the second half whenever the Friars threatened to wrest the game back under control. The keys were shooter Matt Janning, who scored a game-high 24 points, and athletic forward Eugene Spates who added 17.

The win was a big one for third-year NU coach Bill Coen, a former assistant at the University of Rhode Island.

“Conference wins are always special but we’ve been so close to a win like this in a nonconference game, so to beat a team like Providence makes it a special night,” Coen said.

The Friars actually played well enough to win. PC received balanced scoring with Weyinmi Efejuku (16 points, 6 turnovers), Jonathan Kale (15 points) and Brian McKenzie (12 points, three 3-pointers) reaching double figures, but simply couldn’t make the big stops down the stretch.

The Friars also weren’t helped at all by shaky late-game foul shooting. They made only 8-of-16 tries in the second half and were also doomed by 21 turnovers.

“Of course we were always confident we’d win, but hats off to them,” said Kale. “They knocked down some big shots. Their best guys made tough shots.”

The two biggest Northeastern shots were 3-point daggers. The Friars tied the game twice in the final five minutes but both pushes were stemmed with the long ball. The first came when Geoff McDermott canned a deep 3-pointer to knot the game at 57-57 with 4:32 to play. Northeastern’s Baptiste Bataille quickly answered with a 3-pointer from the corner in front of the Husky bench.

The Friars kept charging with Kale scoring inside and Efejuku converting a 3-point play off an acrobatic drive that tied the score at 63-63 at the 2:13 mark. But this time it was Janning, a junior from Minnesota, who drained a deep 3-pointer above the Friar defense.

“What you found is a team that didn’t fold,” said PC coach Keno Davis, whose debut was spoiled by the loss. “We kept coming back at them and tied it and all the momentum was going our way. Then they knocked down threes. That’s what you need to get an upset when you come into a Big East school.”

Davis was clearly disappointed with his team’s inability to find the Huskies’ top players when they squared up to the hoop. PC did a fine job limiting forward Manny Adako inside but its matchup zone defense let Janning and Spates loose too often.

“Those were the two guys who could beat us and we needed to shut them down,” said Davis. “And those were the two guys who beat us. We will try everything we can to improve defensively and not allow the other team’s best player to get those kind of open looks.”

The Friars began the game with a lot of energy, especially on the defensive end. PC moved out to a 13-5 lead. But some sloppy ball-handling and passing inside the lane kept handicapping the Friar offense. PC finished the first half with 12 turnovers and those miscues helped Northeastern regain its footing and lead at the break, 26-25.

McKenzie scored the first bucket of the second half for PC but a 3-pointer and layup by Janning got the Huskies up and running. NU led, 42-34, after a steal and driving score by Janning and a score inside by Adako but the Friars then slapped on an aggressive, full-court press that paid quick dividends.

PC trailed, 48-40, when it snapped a 1-of-15 skid from downtown. Three 3-pointers by McKenzie and one from Jeff Xavier sparked the offense when it needed it most and another trey by McDermott tied the game at 57-57. But Bataille’s 3-pointer pushed PC back a step. The Friars kept coming but Janning’s 3-ball snapped the 63-63 tie.

PC trailed, 67-64, with 28 seconds left but Efejuku was stripped driving down the lane by Chase Allen with 14 ticks left and the Huskies were home free.

kmcnamar@projo.com