By Aren LeBrun, News Correspondent
The women’s basketball team could not extend their home winning streak to 11 games on Tuesday night as they fell to the University of Delaware Blue Hens in a 76-51 blowout at Solomon Court.
The height and three-point shooters of the NCAA tournament-experienced Blue Hens was too much for the Huskies to overcome. Northeastern’s second consecutive loss in conference games drops them to 2-2 in the CAA and 9-5 overall.
Senior guard Laura Carra led Delaware with a game-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds, which was also a game high. She was aided by senior forward Elena Delle Donne. Carra’s All-American teammate, Delle Donne scored 19 points to go along with seven rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists.
For Northeastern, senior guards Deanna Kerkhof and Kashaia Cannon continued their strong play of late. Kerkhof recorded 16 points to go with her seven rebounds while Cannon chipped in 14 points and four boards.
“When you’re playing against a team that has an All-American player like Delle Donne, the team tends to get focused on that one player,” Northeastern head coach Daynia La-Force said. “And as a result their three-point shooters were getting wide open shots.”
From the opening tipoff Delaware came out firing, quickly jumping out to an early 6-0 lead after Carra nailed a jump shot from the corner in transition. The Huskies began to rally early in the half, with Kerkhof eventually hitting a three-pointer that knotted the game at 14 points apiece.
The Huskies’ rally was cut short due to the early loss of junior center Jewel Tunstull and senior forward Christine Huber to foul trouble midway through the first period. This was costly for the Huskies, as the absence of their usual post presence left them vulnerable down low.
Northeastern was bothered by the size of Delaware which forced them into taking difficult looks in the first half, shooting 35 percent from the floor. Without Tunstull or Huber in for the majority of the period, Delaware took advantage of the undersized Huskies and outrebounded them by seven in the first half.
“We were in foul trouble obviously with Tunstull on the bench in the first half, our leading rebounder,” La-Force said. “It was hard to really maintain our intensity and get those rebounds we needed.”
Delaware finished the half on a 14-5 run, capped off by a three-pointer from Carra, one of her three on the night. They entered the break with a 44-29 lead over the Huskies.
Coming out of the half, Cannon’s drive and double clutch finish was followed by Huber’s offensive rebound and score. Delaware silenced Northeastern’s rally attempt with solid defense and rebounding, as well as strong play from the bench, namely senior guard Jaquetta May, who chipped in 10 points and four rebounds.
In all, Delaware racked up 18 points from their bench, as opposed to six from the Huskies’ reserves.
The Blue Hens dominated the second half despite a brief offensive spark from Kerkhof. Her two deep three-pointers were followed by a staunch tightening of the perimeter by the quick and long Delaware defense. The Blue Hens forced 11 second half turnovers and collected 26 offensive rebounds to coast to a 76-51 finish.
The Huskies’ previous defeat came at the hands of James Madison University on the road Sunday. Despite these struggles, La-Force feels that this is not a time for her team to hang its head, but rather an opportunity to look forward and respond on the road.
“There’s no time to sulk about this loss,” she said. “We have to learn from it, get better. We have to be ready to play a very talented Georgia State team.”
After a two game road trip, the Huskies return home on Jan. 22 to face Drexel University. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.
