By Aren LeBrun, News Correspondent
Expectations were high coming into the season, and the Northeastern women’s basketball team (1-1) did not disappoint in Friday’s season opener against their rival Boston University, securing a 73-62 win over the Terriers at Case Gym.
It took a career night from junior guard A’lece Mark, as well as a 28-11 run late in the second half, to silence BU (0-1), who would not go away quietly in a thrilling back-and-forth contest.
“I think there were a lot of first game jitters,” head coach Daynia La-Force said. “We had to get a lot of nerves out of our system and just play basketball.”
Mark led all scorers with her career-best 28 points (4-7 from the arc), and also recorded five boards, two assists and a steal.
“It felt good,” Mark, whose performance was enough to earn this season’s first Player of the Week honors in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA), said. “I definitely owe it to my teammates. They kept getting me the ball and they trusted me to take those shots.”
The Huskies were also paced by senior center Jewel Tunstull, who poured in 14 points to go with her seven rebounds. She stood tall at the defensive end, grabbing a steal and swatting away three shots, a game-high. Sophomore guard Kazzidy Stewart scored nine points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
BU was led by senior guard Danielle Callahan, who dropped a team-high 27 points for the Terriers. She was aided by Rashidat Agboola. The senior forward recorded 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
It was a defensive showcase for Northeastern, forcing the Terriers to shoot a pedestrian 31 percent (19-62) from the floor and 25 percent (7-28) from three-point range.
The Terriers benefited from a home crowd energy, racing out to an early 9-0 lead in the first half. Mark and Tunstull answered, each scoring layups to spark a 14-7 Northeastern run that brought the Huskies within two.
BU answered again after the second media timeout, stringing together an 8-2 run and jumped out to a 29-21 lead with just over seven minutes left in the period.
Northeastern, a club coming off their best record of their seven-year tenure in the CAA (previously playing in the America East), knows how to fight through adversity. The Huskies responded in a big way, ripping off a 14-4 run to end the period and send BU to the locker room on the wrong end of a 35-33 halftime score. Mark, who proved her versatile offensive skillset last season, heated up during the run, scoring a jumper, a transition layup and a transition three-pointer.
“I thought the first half was a valuable learning lesson for us,” said La-Force. “I’m proud of the young kids who did play, and played well.”
Tunstull, back on the court after first half foul trouble, opened the second period with a basket. Mark and Stewart each drilled a three-pointer to push Northeastern’s lead to 43-35.
Momentum was with the Huskies and for a moment it seemed that the lead was about to be blown open. The Terriers answered yet again though, with a 16-2 run midway through the half pushing them to a six-point, 51-45 lead over Northeastern.
After a pair of Tunstull free-throws (she was 6-6 on the night), the tempo slowed down as both teams traded buckets for the next six minutes.
Mark, once again the game-changer, drilled a three on the left wing and followed it with a pair of free throws to give the Huskies a lead, this time one that they would hold onto.
“That’s what good players do,” La-Force said. “They find ways to score. They step up when their team needs them the most.”
Her scoring began what would eventually become an 18-4 run to close the game. Sophomore forward Tiffany Montagne first knocked in a three-pointer, followed by Mark, Stewart, and junior co-captain Amencie Mercier going a combined 6-6 from the free throw line. Northeastern shot 79 percent (19-24) from the free throw line on the night.
Picked third in the CAA preseason coaches poll, the Huskies lived up to expectations in the first game of the season. Northeastern applied its up-tempo, polished offensive game plan Friday, knocking in eight three-pointers at a 40 percent clip. Bench play was also a factor, with Northeastern reserves outscoring Boston University’s second unit 12-4.
“Whoever goes down with foul trouble, someone else has to be there,” Mark said. “The sophomores on our team really stepped up. That’s what helped us withstand those runs.”
Maintaining last year’s defensive success (10.4 steals per game, first in the CAA) was a big focus coming into the year. In Friday’s game the Huskies grabbed nine steals and forced 17 turnovers, resulting in 22 of their points.
“We definitely have to remain focused on the fundamentals of our defense,” La-Force said. “Offensively, we have to stay patient and take good shots when we are in a situation like that.”
The Huskies played their second game of non-conference play on Wednesday, welcoming the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights. NU fell 65-51 and moved to 1-1 on the season.
