After three straight losses in which Northeastern women’s basketball team (8-15, 4-9 CAA) was out-rebounded 87-127 and scored, on average, half as many free throws as its opponents, the Huskies have the lowest free-throw percentage (61.3%) and lowest number of rebounds in the CAA.
Hoping to get back on track, the Huskies entered their matchup against Elon University (9-16, 5-7 CAA) Friday, already having defeated the conference rival Feb. 2. Instead, the Huskies tallied their fourth-straight loss and eighth conference loss of the season.
“I told them I was embarrassed by their effort,” head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd said after the game. “I thought that they played hard for about three minutes and then quit, quite frankly.”
The game celebrated Black History Month with a special performance of “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” and a halftime show by Stepping On Another Level (SOAL), Northeastern’s step-dance team.
The Huskies started off strong, leading 7-0 three minutes into the first quarter. Northeastern continued to stay ahead with contributions from the bench, including a three from sophomore guard Marian Turnbull. Despite having the lowest number of rebounds in the CAA, the Huskies were able to notch 11 in the first quarter alone. The Huskies finished the first ten minutes up 16-14.
While the Huskies still had some energy through the second quarter, it began to decline. The Phoenix picked up momentum, scoring 18 points and stealing the lead with 1:55 left in the half. Elon kept its lead for the remainder of the game.
The third quarter was near radio-silent for Northeastern with just two points gained in a layup from senior forward Deja Bristol. Fifth-year guard Jaelyn Batts got into some foul trouble as she received her fourth of the game with 4:31 left in the third and remained on the bench afterwards. Batts has the most personal fouls on the Huskies, averaging 3.9 per game and 67 in total.
Coming into the final quarter down 43-30, the Huskies knew something had to change if they wanted to earn the season sweep against Elon. Still, Northeastern was unable to deliver as the team scored just seven points with a 14.3% field goal percentage, ending the game with a 53-37 loss.
A basketball to the face for senior guard, all-CAA honoree and top scorer Derin Erdogan also gave Northeastern a scare with 6:20 left in the game, as the team has struggled with injuries all season.
Despite the Huskies’ overall lack of success in the game, Bristol notched her fourth double-double of the season.
This game was also the second in a row where the Huskies have scored under 40 points.
Northeastern traveled to Long Island to face Hofstra University (9-14, 3-9 CAA) Sunday and fell 66-46. The Huskies face Stony Brook (21-3, 11-2 CAA) Feb. 25 before heading back to the Cabot Center to play North Carolina A&T State University Mar. 1 (16-8, 10-3).
