By Jose Castillo, inside columnist
Over the weekend, the Northeastern University (NU) Huskies lost to both Elon University and the College of William & Mary, extending their losing streak to five games.
The Huskies dominated most of the game against Elon, but couldn’t deliver. Elon only led twice in the game; once in the first time in the first minute of the game, and the second in the final 60 seconds.
Elon and NU were neck-and-neck until late in the first quarter, when the Huskies took off to end the period with a six-point lead, 14-8, thanks in part to five offensive rebounds.
The Huskies continued to extend their lead into the second quarter, building a 10-point lead two minutes into the frame. However, Elon sophomore guard Shay Burnett converted on two three-point plays to help the Phoenixes come back.
By the end of the half, Huskies held a narrow lead at 24-22.
Burnett knocked down two free throws early in the second half, tying the game for the first time since the opening minutes. However, the Huskies quickly responded when senior guard Tiffany Montagne knocked down a jumper, launching Northeastern’s five-point run.
Heading into the fourth quarter, the Huskies led by five points and held a lead for most of the quarter. However, turnovers from the Huskies coupled with Elon sinking a few shots erased NU’s lead in the last minute of the quarter.
A steal by Elon sophomore center Malaya Johnson led to a Phoenix bucket, putting Elon ahead by two with only three seconds on the clock.
NU senior forward Samantha DeFreese launched a three at the buzzer, but she couldn’t knock it down. The game ended 56-54.
During Sunday’s game in Virginia, William & Mary ended the first period with a six point lead, thanks in part to junior guard Marlena Tremba making three shots from beyond the arc.
Strong Husky offense and foul trouble for Tribe helped NU gain a lead in the final two minutes of the second quarter, but Tribe brought it back for a tie.
In the second half, the Huskies dominated offensively as freshman forward Gabriella Giacone and DeFreese combined to score 16 points in the third. However, the Tribe tied the game by the end of the third and took the lead early in the fourth.
Despite extending their lead to seven points with only two minutes left in the game, the Tribe held only a two-point lead after the Huskies nailed a pair of three-pointers in back-to-back possessions during the second to last minute of game play.
But in the last 30 seconds, the Tribe extended the lead back to seven, scoring a three-pointer and making two free throws.
Head coach Kelly Cole commented on the losses, attributing them to turnovers and rebounds.
“[Rebounds] in last three or four games have really been kind of of the downfall; [rebounds] and turnovers,” Cole said.
However, Coach Cole did praise the team for its ball handling skills and movement offensively.
“We moved the ball well, we got the offensive looks that we wanted,” Cole said after their game against Elon.
Giacone notched her fourth career double-double, and DeFreese only stands 28 points away from achieving 1,000 points.
The Huskies also blocked seven shots, a season high that they tied from a Jan. 15 game against the Tribe.
Northeastern shot over 40 percent against the Tribe.
The Huskies hope to end their losing streak as they hit the road to face the College of Charleston this Friday and head back to the Cabot Center to host James Madison University on Sunday.
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics.
