After a tumultuous 3-25 season for Northeastern women’s basketball last year, the Huskies were hoping to start the new season off right: a win over a team that, last year, they only lost to by two. Unfortunately, the Huskies (0-1, 0-0 CAA) fell to the Long Island University Sharks (1-0, 0-0 Northeast Conference) 75-60 Nov. 3. 

Northeastern had a record 30 fouls, the most since at least the 2008-2009 season, and LIU added 23 fouls of its own. The Huskies’ foul trouble ultimately led to their demise, as 23 of LIU’s points came from foul shots, and key players across the board were kept off the court to prevent them from fouling out. 

Despite the struggles, Northeastern found a bright spot in sophomore guard Camryn Collins; the game was her debut as a Husky after transferring from Rider University. Collins notched 15 points, had a steal and grabbed three rebounds. 

As was often the case last season, junior guard Yirsy Quéliz was the playmaker for the Huskies, notching 11 points, four rebounds, three steals and five assists. Sophomore forward Taylor Holohan led the team in rebounds with nine. Graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons, standing at 5-foot-2-inches, was another strong player for Northeastern, scoring eight points and grabbing six rebounds. 

“[Collins] has a lot of ability, so I like how she was attacking offensively,” head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd said. “Nariyah is steady. She’s experienced, so she picks her spots well.” 

Northeastern won the tip, and Quéliz scored a wide open layup as both teams forgot which way they were going, a good indicator of how the rest of the game was going to go. Sophomore forward Justice Tramble notched the Huskies’ first foul of the afternoon 23 seconds into the first quarter, which was followed by a corner shot for LIU to tie it at two. 

The game stayed close until the Sharks went on a seven-point streak, complete with a jumper and an and-1 for LIU’s junior forward Kadidia Toure, who would go on to score 26 points in the game. Sophomore center Alyssa Staten hit a mid-range jumper to snap the streak before both teams were scoreless for two minutes. Back-to-back layups for the Sharks increased their lead to 17-8 with just over two minutes remaining in the first quarter. 

The teams exchanged two foul shots each before a three-pointer for Queliz ended scoring for the quarter with 28 seconds remaining. The Sharks led Northeastern 19-16 after dominating in the paint with 10 points compared to Northeastern’s two. 

The second quarter started with five fouls between both teams before either saw a made basket. A fast break layup by Collins with under eight minutes remaining in the quarter cut LIU’s lead to 19-15, and it would be another 47 seconds before the Sharks scored their first point of the quarter off a free throw. 

In the middle of the second quarter, the Sharks went off, taking eight points to Northeastern’s three to increase their lead to 29-18 with just over four and a half minutes remaining. The game headed into a media timeout, and both teams had already reached the bonus. In the last minute of the first half, LIU hit a jumper and a layup to increase its lead to 39-26. 

With another half of basketball to play, it wasn’t looking great for the Huskies. Key players Staten and Simmons already had three fouls, and four more Huskies had two fouls each. 

In the second half, Northeastern played much more evenly with the Sharks, only being outscored by two points in the third quarter and tying in the fourth quarter with 14 points each. The third quarter was Northeastern’s best offensively as the team notched 20 points. 

The third quarter began with a foul by Holohan 19 seconds in, sending Toure to the line. She sank both her shots, and the next three points came from foul shots for LIU to increase its lead to 43-26. Sophomore guard Morgan Matthews scored her first points as a Husky off an and-1 from a transition layup, assisted by Quéliz, to bring the score to 44-29. 

Northeastern notched its fifth foul of the quarter with over five and a half minutes remaining in the third before both teams exchanged layups to bring the game to a media timeout, 52-36 LIU. 

After LIU made a foul shot out of the timeout, Northeastern began to gain momentum as LIU turned over the ball and followed it up with a foul. The Huskies then swung the ball and found Simmons open for a three-pointer. A jump ball went Northeastern’s way, and Holohan found herself wide open underneath the basket for a layup to cut the deficit to 53-41 LIU, electrifying the Cabot Center and forcing the Sharks to use a timeout with just under two and a half minutes remaining. 

The teams exchanged foul points and three-point plays before LIU sank a three-pointer with four seconds remaining to end the quarter 61-46, Sharks. 

The first minute of the fourth quarter was scoreless before a transition layup by Toure increased the Sharks’ lead to 63-46. It would take nearly three minutes before Northeastern scored in the quarter, but freshman guard Kailee Beaudion-Foliaki delivered with a layup. Sophomore guard Maria Sanchez Pitarch then followed with back-to-back baskets, cutting LIU’s lead to 63-52. 

The teams exchanged baskets, and a jumper with 4:16 left increased LIU’s lead to 67-54. By the time a media timeout was called in the fourth quarter, LIU had four fouls to Northeastern’s three. 

A three-pointer exchange occurred before Staten knocked down a free throw after Toure fouled out with just over two minutes left. Northeastern’s final points of the game came off two made free throws by Holohan, bringing the score to 70-60. A three-pointer with over a minute and a layup with 16 seconds left finalized the Sharks’ win over Northeastern, 75-60.  

“We fouled a lot, and we turned the ball over too much,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “I think we played hard overall, but we didn’t adjust well to how the game was being called, so it was hard to kind of get over that hump.” 

Despite the foul trouble, a bright spot came for Northeastern in offensive rebounds. The team dominated LIU in offensive rebounds, 18 to two,  and turned them into  19 second-chance points. If the team can continue to build off this, limit its fouls and play more disciplined, the Huskies can find ways to win as the season progresses. 

The Huskies are back in action against the Yale University Bulldogs (0-0, 0-0 Ivy) on the road Nov. 7 at 6 p.m.