By: Justin Clear-Vekinis, News Correspondent
For the fourth game in a row, sophomore guard Deanna Kerkhof was the leading scorer for the Huskies. The Wallaceburg, Ontario native notched 19 points and seven rebounds in Sunday’s 61-55 loss to their Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) rival George Mason.
“[Kerkhof] is a bright spot in our offense and our team,” head coach Daynia La-Force Mann said. “She’s versatile and effective. Having the ball in her hands creates opportunities for other players and herself. She was injured early on in the season, but now she’s embracing being on the team.”
The loss drops the Huskies to 3-6 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play and 8-12 on the season.
Sophomore forward and Rutgers transfer Christine Huber tallied nine points on top of a team-high eight rebounds. Junior forwards Jamie Conroy and Kashaia Cannon added nine and eight points, respectively.
The Patriots pulled away in the first half, going on a 9-0 run to take a 24-15 lead. But the Huskies responded with a 7-0 run of their own to close in on the deficit, trailing 26-25 at halftime.
In the second half, the Huskies took a 42-41 lead with 9:44 left and kept at it, increasing their advantage to 55-53.
But within the last two minutes, the Patriots went on a late surge to take the game away from the Huskies.
“We’re working on closing the game out better,” Cannon said. “The last few minutes, they just took over and outworked us. We’ve got to work on playing until the end.”
Thursday, Northeastern took on Towson, sneaking by with a 58-56 victory. However, like the GMU game, the Huskies struggled when faced with the full-court press.
“It’s something our players have to be mindful of,” La-Force Mann said. “We were not being fundamental in how we handled it nor were we handling the pressure properly. Our young team is learning though, through games like these.”
Kerkhof led the Huskies and scored 15 points, including the winning pair of free throws with 0.4 seconds remaining.
The score was tied 56-56 and the game looked set to go into overtime. However, on the last drive to the basket, Kerkhof was fouled and sent to the line and converted both attempts.
“I thought we played a great team effort. We shared the ball nicely and were able to find our players,” La-Force Mann said. “It’s something we haven’t been able to do too well all year, but it just proves that we’re a resilient team.”
The Huskies face the University of Delaware Blue Hens for the second time this season tonight in Newark, Delaware, at 7 p.m.
