After a heart-crushing buzzer-beater from the Drexel on Friday night, Northeastern extended its losing streak against the Dragons to eight games, falling 61-59.

Northeastern (12-4, 2-3 CAA) returned home to the Cabot Center Friday night after their first back-to-back losses of the season coming against Towson and James Madison.

Senior guard Jess Genco was awarded a standing ovation after receiving her plaque in a pre-game ceremony in recognition of her knocking down her 246th 3-pointer against Elon on Jan. 4, a new Northeastern program record.

In the game, the Huskies hit the ground running, taking early control after senior forward Gabby Giacone struck first with a strong power move to the basket. Fast-breaks and full-court pressure got the Huskies out to a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes.

Although the Dragons (10-5, 2-2 CAA) started slowly, they clawed back into the fray thanks to two big 3-pointers by guard Maura Hendrixson. This was capped off by a 12-2 run in the last three minutes of the quarter, giving Drexel an 18-16 lead going into the first break.

Northeastern and Drexel both struggled to put the ball in the net in the second quarter, with both teams going through five-minute stretches without scoring. But with 2.3 seconds on the clock, a single free-throw from Hendrixson broke the scoring drought on both sides, rounding out a quarter that only had 11 points scored in total with the Dragons holding the Huskies at an arm’s length, 26-19.

Dragons forward Bailey Greenberg led the way in scoring through the first half with nine points, along with five rebounds and a lone assist. Greenberg, who has been averaging 16.2 points per game, was the leading scorer for the Dragons in 11 out of their 14 past matchups. Coming off the bench for the Huskies was sophomore guard Stella Clark, scoring five points and snagging three rebounds in 14 minutes of play in the first half.

Hendrixson and Greenberg nailed dagger threes to start the third quarter, followed by forward Niki Metzel’s and-1 on the fast break.

Northeastern was able to respond with a 3-pointer of its own as Genco pulled up to hit her second of the game. But Greenberg put on a shooting clinic in the third, as she netted 11 points in the quarter, and extended her rebounding total to six. Clark notched an and-1 of her own, giving her 12 points on the night and keeping the Huskies within single-digits at the end of the third, with the Dragons leading 48-39.

With junior guard Shannon Todd hitting her second three pointer of the game a minute and a half in and a Genco pull-up, the Huskies found themselves only four points behind the Dragons, who called a timeout in response. But two consecutive layups for junior forward Ayanna Dublin kept the momentum going for the Huskies, tying the game up at 51-51 and capping off a 9-0 run with six minutes to spare.

A killer three by Drexel guard Keishana Washington extended the Dragons lead to four, but this was countered by Dublin’s two free-throws at the other end. The Huskies stuck with it, and with 1:15 left on the clock, freshman forward Alexis Hill put the Huskies even.

The drama did not end there, as Todd was sent to the free-throw line, where she knocked down both and put the Huskies up by two at 59-57, giving the home team its first lead since the first quarter.

But it was Greenberg’s night as she tied the game up with thirty seconds left to play. The Dragons from there forced a turnover from the Huskies with a single second left on the clock, after which they called one last timeout.

The inbounds pass went straight to Greenberg on the block, where she was able to turn around on Hill, whose arms were fully stretched out, and kiss a jumper off the glass, giving the Dragons a 61-59 win and rounding out her 26 points on the night.

“We just need to figure out how to play 40 minutes, but the pieces are coming together,” said head coach Kelly Cole after the game.

This extends Northeastern’s losing streak to three games heading into Sunday’s game against Delaware at Matthews Arena.

“This is a team with a lot of fight and we’re going to keep shooting for March,” Cole said.

The Huskies’ record drops to 2-3 in-conference with the loss, but they still hold a 12-4 record overall.