By Aren LeBrun, News Staff
The Northeastern women’s basketball team overcame a late second half deficit Wednesday night to secure a 64-59 victory over the University of Rhode Island.
The Huskies (3-1), winning their second straight in the two-game road trip, were led by A’lece Mark’s game-high 22 points. The junior guard had a well-rounded game, collecting four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
“I want to be that player to ignite my teammates,” said Mark, whose 20.3 points per game ranks second in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). “I wasn’t hitting shots early in the game. If I’d made more of my open looks we would have an easier time.”
Senior center Jewel Tunstull helped out in a big way, scoring nine points and pulling down a game-high 12 rebounds. The Huskies were also aided by a solid performance from sophomore forward Samantha DeFreese. A new addition to the starting lineup this season, DeFreese scored 10 points and pulled down six rebounds.
“Last year I was a freshman, it was more of a transition year and it was more about learning,” she said. “We did lose some big time players, but now as sophomores we are a lot more experienced.”
The Rams (0-4) were paced by a 21-point, seven-rebound performance from sophomore forward Samantha Tabakman. Tayra Melendez also chipped in 16 points for Rhode Island.
It was a tightly contested game throughout, with neither team ever gaining more than a six-point advantage. Northeastern struck first on a layup from junior captain Amencie Mercier. After Mark split a pair of free throws, sophomore guard Kazzidy Stewart checked into the game. Stewart made her presence felt almost immediately, scoring a layup and splashing in a three-pointer, to give the Huskies a 10-5 lead going into the first media timeout.
Rhode Island responded after the break, with Tabakman and Melendez combining for six points to cut Northeastern’s lead to one. The Huskies pushed back, with Tunstull and DeFreese scoring around the rim, followed by Mark hitting a jump shot and Mercier knocking down a three-pointer. This gave Northeastern a 27-21 lead, their largest of the contest.
Not to be held down, the Rams made a run of their own to close out the period, with a jump shot from Kallie Banker followed by four straight points from Tabakman. The teams went to their locker rooms with Northeastern leading 29-27.
Rhode Island managed to frustrate Mark, holding her to only three points on 1-5 shooting from the floor.
“I simply wasn’t hitting shots early in the game,” she said. “I took a lot of shots, I missed a lot of shots.”
Coming out of the gate, neither team was able to gain much of an advantage over the other. In the first five minutes of the period the largest point differential was a 36-33 Northeastern lead off a pair of DeFreese free throws.
At the 11-minute mark, Rhode Island began to make a push. Melendez split a pair of free throws and then scored a layup. Tabakman also hit one of two at the line and scored at the rim. The sophomore duo each scored again, giving the Rams a five-point advantage over Northeastern going into the third media timeout.
Mark made a free throw after the timeout, but Teneka Whitaker knocked in a pair at the line to extend the lead to six. Trailing 48-54 with just over six minutes to play, Mark and Tunstull answered the call. Northeastern’s first and second leading scorers combined for 12 points to give the Huskies a three-point advantage.
DeFreese made a layup with 1:09 remaining to extend the lead to 62-57. The game was not over, as Melendez dropped in a layup to make it a single possession game with 48 seconds left on the clock. On the next possession DeFreese knocked in a crucial jump shot with 19 seconds left to bring Northeastern’s lead back to five and put the game out of reach for the Rams.
“As sophomores, it’s still kind of a learning year, but the ball is in our hands more,” DeFreese said. “We’re kind of just stepping into roles now. We’re definitely contributing more to the team.”
Northeastern shot 47.2 percent (25-53) from the floor on the night. Defense was key, as their 20 forced turnovers (nine steals) allowed for 17 points on the other end of the floor. The Huskies also contested the perimeter with force, holding Rhode Island to 14.3 percent (2-14) from beyond the arc.
“We’re definitely confident because we haven’t even played at our highest level yet,” Mark said. “We haven’t come out the gate ready. Going into the next couple games you’ll start seeing that.”
Last night’s win followed a 70-50 blowout victory over the University of New Hampshire Wildcats on Saturday. Mark dropped 20 points to lead all scorers and Tunstull added 14 points and 15 rebounds in the game, her second double-double of the season.
Sweeping their two-game road trip was a positive bounce back from last week’s home loss to Rutgers University, a game in which they shot a dismal 28.6 percent (17-57) from the floor.
“That loss was a low point for us,” said DeFreese. “But it’s always about the next game and how you come back. We showed that tonight.”
The Huskies return home Saturday to play New Jersey Institute of Technology (1-2) on Solomon Court at Cabot Gym. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
