By Ethan Schroeder, news staff
The Northeastern women’s basketball team returned to the Cabot Center for two matchups this week following a three-game road trip. The Huskies (4-16) hoped to return to winning form, but lost both games against Hofstra University and the College of William & Mary with the latter being a double-overtime thriller.
The action began on Thursday night, as Hofstra cruised to a 66-45 victory, burying Northeastern even deeper into last place in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings. The Huskies had barely let victory slip away in their first matchup against the Pride, losing 85-83 in overtime. This time around, however, it was all Hofstra. The Pride notched the first basket of the game and did not look back, holding its lead for the rest of the contest.
NU kept things fairly close in the first half, as Hofstra headed to the locker room with a 35-25 lead. The Huskies continued to battle after the break, but the dominant Hofstra took a 56-35 lead with four minutes left to play. NU was unable to recover, dropping its conference record to 1-8 with a final score of 66-45.
The Pride was led by freshman guard Ashunae Durant, who managed 13 points on 50 percent shooting along with 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kelly Loftus and redshirt sophomore forward Anjie White rounded out the notable scorers with 12 points each. Junior guard Kazzidy Stewart was the only NU player who cracked double digits. The Huskies shot only 32 percent from the floor. Head Coach Kelly Cole was unhappy with the team’s offensive production.
“When my leading scorer over the past three games only takes five shots, we’re in trouble,” Cole said in reference to junior forward Samantha DeFreese. “We didn’t get the movement we needed. We had looks inside but we couldn’t get the ball in the paint, and when our inside game isn’t working our outside game isn’t working.”
Another noticeable flaw for NU on Thursday was its inability to hold on to the ball. The team finished with 18 turnovers, allowing Hofstra to score 21 points this season. NU is averaging 17.3 turnovers per game.
“We were just kind of out of sync from the get go,” Cole said. “It looked like we didn’t recognize our own teammates. We didn’t even make them work for the turnovers.”
NU hoped to bounce back on Sunday against William & Mary. Sporting a variety of new five-player setups, the Huskies were able to jump out to a 9-4 lead before the first media timeout. Senior guard Amencie Mercier led the initial charge for NU, scoring eight points in the first half.
The key to the Huskies’ initial success was their post presence. Over the course of the game, NU was able to out-rebound the Tribe 57-34, scoring 36 points in the paint. DeFreese and sophomore center Francesca Sally contributed largely to the effort with 13 and eight rebounds, respectively.
“My success [in the post] came from my teammates,” DeFreese said. “They do a good job looking for me in the paint. They make my job a lot easier by moving the ball well.”
DeFreese was also able to score 18 points, earning her third double-double of the season.
William & Mary recovered from its initial blunders and finished strong in the first half, heading into the break with a 24-23 lead. Spectators were treated to an exciting second half as both teams traded blows. With six lead changes, neither team was able to pull ahead for long. After freshman forward Maureen Taggart hit a big 3-pointer to tie things up at 51 with 4:06 left to play, the game hit a standstill. Attempts to end the game in regulation by both sides fell short, forcing the first overtime period at 51-51.
With five minutes given to try to find a winner, the two teams were still evenly matched. NU squeaked ahead with a layup from DeFreese to put the score at 55-53 with 2:17 remaining, but the Tribe answered with a score of its own, requiring a second overtime. NU looked tired and out of sorts as William & Mary jumped out to a 64-55 lead. The Huskies sent their opponent to the free-throw line on numerous occasions, but the visitors held on, winning by a score of 72-66.
“We’re doing what it takes to be in it, but we’re not doing what it takes to win it,” Cole said. “It’s the details. It’s the box-outs on the boards. It’s the turnovers. We’re doing a lot of good things, but we’re just not closing the deal.”
DeFreese echoed her coach, adding that creating 29 turnovers makes it difficult for any team to be successful.
The Huskies hope to turn things around in the coming week as they travel to take on the University of Delaware on Thursday night, Feb. 5, followed by a home matchup against Towson University on Sunday.
Photo by Brian Bae
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