By Jessica Man
After notching their second straight win against the University of Buffalo Bulls, 71-44, Wednesday at Solomon Court, the Northeastern women’s basketball team lost to cross-town rival Boston College, 90-63, at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill.
The Eagles, the No. 20 ranked team in the nation, shot 60.3 percent from the floor while holding the Huskies to just 40 percent shooting.
Maralene Zwarich paced NU with 15 points, while BC’s Jessalyn Deveny led all scorers with 20 points.
On Wednesday, the Huskies got their first home win of the season against Buffalo. NU controlled the game with their strong defense, preventing the Bulls from getting any easy shots, overwhelming the Bulls with steals and fast break baskets.
“We play well at home. We have two wins in a row. The season started off slow, but this is our second win. Hopefully this will help keep up our momentum,” said captain Francesca Vanin after Wednesday’s win.
Vanin dropped a season-high of 16 points in the game, but not only did the senior forward’s points contribute to the win, but her intensity and leadership also led the way. Vanin was fouled with 8:24 left in the first half and made both of her foul shots, tying the game, 18-18. After that, the Huskies led for the rest of the first half. Vanin also got a steal at 4:57 of the first half, but the play was not completed.
“I play hard and strong. I just do the things in my power and hope my teammates will follow,” Vanin said. And her teammates did follow; Zwarich had a season high of her own with 21 points and also racked in 12 rebounds. She had the opening shot for the Huskies and it opened the door to her big scoring game. The junior made all of her foul shots, 3-for-3, adding to the Huskies’ 90 percent free throw shooting for the entire game.
Sophomore guard Jody Burrows dished out nine assists and got three rebounds. Stefanie Hodell scored three points and snatched up nine rebounds of her own. Michelle Decerbo dropped nine points into the bucket and got seven rebounds. Freshman Shaylese Smallwood rainbowed in 13 points for the Huskies and was named America East co-Rookie of the Week.
Most of the Huskies had standout performances individually but collectively they worked together to drive the Bulls crazy with their defense. Buffalo committed a total of 25 turnovers, while the Lady Huskies had a total of 14 steals. The Bulls did not have a good rebounding night, with 21 rebounds, where as the Huskies had 40 boards with 14 of them coming off the offensive glass. The only Bulls player in double digits was Allison Bennett with 11 points. After scoring 27 in the first half, Buffalo was held to just 17 points in the second half.
“We play really good defense, but it could be a lot better. It is not the best it could be, but it’s getting there,” Zwarich said.
There’s always room for improvement, but for now the Huskies will have to build on their first home win of the season.
“We score off our defense. We focused on our defense and we had more steals, which then sparked our offense. They got frustrated and would back off on their heels,” Vanin said.
The Huskies don’t return home until Dec. 18 when they host St. Francis University at 1 p.m., but are back in action this Wednesday when they head across the river to face Harvard University at 7 p.m.
