By Joseph Rubin
They are smooth, aggressive, and playing under control. The women’s basketball team has added a little spring in their step, going two for two for the second consecutive week.
Dominating the America East, the Huskies (7-12,5-3 AE) have now placed themselves in a position as a force with which to be reckoned.
In manhandling host Albany, the Huskies dominated the game, keeping a quick and fluent pace throughout the contest. The young pups of the team sprang forth, as freshmen Maralene Zwarich and Michelle Decerbo netted 21 and 15 points, respectively.
“The freshmen have been huge for us; they don’t play like freshmen,” said coach Willette White.
The game appeared to be evenly matched, as neither team took a dramatic lead nor showed complete ball control, however this would not last. Northeastern took the game into their own hands. Zwarich owned over the Great Danes in the first half, scoring 16 points. She did not miss a shot during the segment, nailing all four of her shots while going 8 for 8 from the free throw line. The Huskies ended the first half with a 10-point lead, 39-29.
NU then lit Albany up, going on a 10-3 run to start the second half. The Danes were left dumfounded looking at the scoreboard as the Huskies expanded their lead to 17, 49-32. Their stares did not hold long though, as the the hosts cut into Northeastern’s large lead. Albany went on a burst of their own, slicing the visitor’s lead to three points.
The Huskies stood strong and confident, however, and countered with an 11-2 run of their own. Northeastern took the game by 13, with a final score of 72-59.
Earlier that week, the women traveled to Vestal, NY, and showed Binghamton how to act in their own house, handing them a bib and wiping their face in a 53-43 win. The freshmen came to the forefront once again, as Zwarich led NU with 22 points on the night.
The game started slowly, as both teams had trouble finding the net; each team hit only about a third of their shots. Binghamton had most of the advantage in the first half, until the Huskies stepped it up with an 8-1 run, concluding the half with a 27-24 advantage.
“We’re taking advantage of opportunities we have now, and playing a lot better defensively,” White said.
Much like the first, the second half started out slowly. With a greater emphasis on defense, the Huskies managed to hold Binghamton below 50, and even managed to tie the lowest point total in a game since February 2, 1996. The Huskies held the Bearcats to 43 points in the 10-point triumph.
To hold their streak, and make it another double win week, White has said “defensively we might throw some wrinkles in there and add a few twists.”
