By Aren LeBrun, News Correspondent
A 10-point lead at halftime and Deanna Kerfhof’s first career double-double on Sunday weren’t enough as the women’s basketball team fell 50-47 on the road to Eastern Michigan University.
The Eagles used a 24-4 second half run to beat the Huskies in the 2012-13 season opener. Senior guard Miranda Tate led all scorers with 23 points for EMU.
“It’s a long season,” said head coach Daynia La-Force. “Every game played in a non-conference is supposed to be used as a teaching tool and we are going to learn from our mistakes.”
Kerhof, a senior guard, notched her first career double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds) and the Huskies picked up 13 points and nine boards from junior center Jewel Tunstull. Senior forward Christine Huber tallied nine points and grabbed 11 rebounds for the Huskies.
It was a solid defensive display from both teams, as neither squad shot over 30 percent for the game. The Huskies were held to 15-of-55 (27.3 percent) shooting, while EMU shot 17-of-57 (29.8 percent) on the afternoon. Northeastern held only one team – James Madison University (a 61-50 win on Feb. 19) – to under 30 percent shooting last season, and defense was one of the positives of the game that La-Force reiterated.
“I was very proud of the defensive effort,” La-Force said. “We stuck with the gameplan.”
Midway through the first half the Huskies went on a 13-1 run to secure a 10 point lead. Kerkhof and senior guard Kashaia Cannon knocked down one three-pointer each to begin the run, which was capped off by a layup from Jewell Tunstull with just under five minutes to play before the break.
Dueling threes from senior guard Kashaia Cannon and Tate capped the first half’s action to bring the Eagles within 10 points going into the half.
Kerkhof opened the second half by nailing a three-pointer, and sophomore guard Amencie Mercier followed suit and hit a jumper to keep the lead in double digits. Kerkhof drove into the lane, converting a layup through enough contact to earn an extra free throw, which she hit. A jumper by Huber pushed the Huskies’ lead to the largest of the afternoon at 17.
The tables began to turn after the second media timeout. Huber managed to end a sudden five-point EMU run with a three. Her triple kept Northeastern’s lead at 15.
The Eagles then took off on a blistering 21-4 run to tie the game at 47 apiece at the three minute mark.
The offensive charge was sparked by a three-pointer by Tate just under the 12 minute mark. Junior guard Natachia Watkins sank a pair of free throws followed by a jumper by senior guard Taylor Bird. Junior forward Olivia Fouty dropped in two layups to cut the margin to seven points. Back-to-back three-pointers by Tate and Bird made it a two point contest, and the game was finally tied on a layup by senior center India Hairston.
Fouty gave EMU its first lead since the opening minutes with a free throw with 1:38 left in the contest.
Northeastern fouled junior guard Desyree Thomas and sent her to the line for one-and-one with 14 seconds remaining. Thomas sank both, pushing EMU’s lead to three which was enough to secure the 50-47 victory.
Points off turnovers and second chance buckets were costly for the Huskies as EMU had a plus-eight and plus-seven advantage in those categories respectively. La-Force said securing rebounds will be a point of emphasis in the Huskies’ approach moving forward.
“What we didn’t do late in the game was rebound,” she said. “They got 10 offensive rebounds in the last 10 minutes of the game which resulted in 20 points.”
Despite a disappointing opening loss, La-Force has an optimistic outlook and expects her team to continue to stay competitive.
“By no means are we going to define who we are as a team by that loss, but we’re going to learn from it and get better,” she said.
The Huskies (0-1) take the court tonight at 7 p.m. at La Salle University for game No. 2 of their three-game road trip. On Saturday, they tip off at Temple University at 5 p.m. to end their season-opening road trip.
Northeastern opens its home slate Tuesday when the Huskies take on the Boston University Terriers on Solomon Court at 7 p.m.
