Northeastern women’s basketball (8-15, 4-9 CAA) faced the Stony Brook Seawolves (21-3, 11-2 CAA) at home Sunday, suffering an upsetting 71-35 loss. It was the lowest-scoring game of the season for the Huskies.
Defeating the conference leader with a healthy squad would be a challenge, but injuries for the Huskies made it even more complicated. All-CAA honoree Gemima Motema has remained out since suffering an injury in a game against North Carolina A&T Feb. 4. Motema was also injured in the Dec. 22 matchup against Boston University which caused her to miss five games. Junior forward Asha Parker was also out for this game and has not played since the Huskies lost against College of Charleston Jan 21..
Sunday’s game was rocky from the start for the Huskies. Sophomore forward Oralye Kiefer led the team with six points in the first quarter, but it was not enough to build momentum for the team. Struggles on defense allowed the Seawolves eight second-chance points, leaving Northeastern down 21-11 going into the second quarter.
The Huskies continued to trail in the second quarter, scoring just four points to Stony Brook’s 17. Four fouls for Northeastern and a nine-minute 12-0 run that continued into the third quarter for Stony Brook made it hard for the Huskies to catch up.
Keeping the ball on offense has been an issue for the Huskies this season as the team averages 17.1 turnovers per game.
“When we take care of the ball, it makes our transfers from defense a little bit easier,” head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd said. “Right now, when we turn the ball over, it’s hard to defend in transition.”
Four turnovers and a 10% field goal percentage meant that Northeastern notched just three points while Stony Brook scored 18 in the third quarter. The Huskies also experienced their greatest deficit this quarter, as they finished the frame down 56-18.
Despite the Seawolves tripling Northeastern in points, the Huskies continued to put up a fight until the end. Northeastern outscored Stony Brook 17-15 in the final quarter, with key contributions from fifth-year guard Jaelyn Batts.
Senior guard Derin Erdogan and Batts led the team with nine points each. Batts scored eight of these points in the final quarter of the game, giving the Huskies a final run before they ultimately fell 71-35.
“[Batts] brought energy,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “I told them that we have to keep fighting and she kept fighting until the end.”
Stony Brook tallied 49 rebounds against the Huskies, who notched just 25. On average, the Seawolves score 8.1 more rebounds than their opponents while the Huskies score 4.1 fewer rebounds than their opponents
“We’re getting stops but we have to make sure that we rebound,” Edwards-Lloyd said.
Northeastern stayed at home Friday and fell 53-37 to Elon University (9-17, 5-8 CAA) in the Cabot Center. On Sunday, the Huskies traveled to Hempstead, N.Y. to play Hofstra University (9-14, 3-9 CAA) and lost 66-46.
“We need to work on not falling apart,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “We need to work on getting healthy so we can play the defense that we’re capable of.”
