The Northeastern women’s basketball team (7-16, 3-10 CAA) fell short against conference leaders, the College of Charleston Cougars (20-4, 12-1 CAA) 69-47 Feb. 13 before defeating the Stony Brook Seawolves (14-11, 9-3 CAA) 73-60 Feb. 15, ending the team’s six-game losing streak in triumphant fashion.

The Cougars arrived at the Cabot Center undefeated in the CAA, boasting the second-best scorer and the best point margin in the conference. The Cougars’ junior forward Grace Ezebilo has dominated the boards this season and is currently the sixth-best rebounder in the country. 

Despite the loss, the Huskies proved their recent losing streak doesn’t reflect their competitive spirit, as they fought for every possession. During the first half, they defensively doubled down on junior guard Taryn Barbot and kept Ezebilo outside of her comfort zone. 

Bench players also showed their offensive talent in the game. Sophomore guard María Sánchez Pitarch had a career-high nine points, and sophomore guard Morgan Matthews led the team in scoring with 11 points. 

The game started with a constant back-and-forth between the teams, though without much luck offensively. After a three-minute scoring drought for Northeastern, sophomore guard Camryn Collins broke the ice for the Huskies with a 3-pointer, her only one in the game. The Cougars, on the other hand, swung the ball into the paint and used their centers to draw the Huskies’ defense, creating open shots on the wings for redshirt senior guard Sophia Tougas and junior guard Taylor Barbot.

Both teams traded buckets in the first quarter, and Northeastern ended the period with an open 3-pointer from Matthews off a left-handed pass from Sánchez Pitarch, who caused trouble in the Cougars’ paint with her quick ballhandling.

The Huskies played a physical defense throughout the first half, switching on screens to contain the Cougars’ offensive threats.

In the second quarter, the visiting team’s high press forced turnovers that led to easy layups, and it stretched its lead to six at 23-17. However, the Huskies locked them down and responded with a 6-0 run, tying the game at 23 with less than two minutes remaining.

Nevertheless, with under five seconds remaining, junior guard Jami Hill caught the ball near Northeastern’s bench and drilled a nearly half-court shot, sending the Cougars into halftime with a three-point lead.

It was a strong defensive first half by Northeastern, leaving the best offensive team in the conference with just 26 points and guarding the paint with grit and perseverance. 

Northeastern came out of halftime firing a 7-0 run thanks to five consecutive points from graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons and a pull up backboard jumper from Collins. This was the first and only time Northeastern saw itself on the scoreboard. After that, a hard-to-escape press and a powerful dominance in the boards from the Cougars drowned the Huskies into a scoring paralysis.  

Junior guard Taryn Barbot and Tougas both scored threes from behind the arc, and Ezebilo demonstrated her rebounding talent to the fans at Cabot, capturing five offensive boards. Thanks to Barbot and Tougas’ contributions, the Cougars set a 23-2 run that stretched their lead to 17 points and left the Huskies without much hope for a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Northeastern entered the fourth with a difficult task to complete, though the Huskies never gave up, trying their best to combat the dominance the Cougars had in the paint. 

Sánchez Pitarch kept spiraling through the Cougars’ defense, always looking for open passes to nurture the Huskies’ shooters. Overall, the home team notched four 3-pointers and eight assists.

Meanwhile, the Barbot twins put on an offensive clinic, scoring on floaters, mid-range jumpers, free throws and threes. Northeastern struggled to match their pace, and the Huskies’ earlier defensive intensity seemed to catch up with them in the final minutes.

The scoreboard read 61-43 in favor of the Cougars with five minutes remaining in the fourth, but four straight points from freshman guard Kailee Beaudion-Foliaki gave the Huskies a spark. Unfortunately, the Barbot twins shared the ball unselfishly and ran out the clock in the final possessions as the Cougars tacked on six more and ended the game 69-47. 

Though it was Alumni Day at the Cabot Center Feb. 15, the Huskies were determined not to repeat history losing their Feb. 6 matchup against the Seawolves, notwithstanding a comeback effort in the second half. In a complete role reversal, the Huskies remained in front almost the entire game.

The Huskies and Seawolves were close to even in blocks, steals and assists. Both teams made eight 3-pointers and scored 28 points in the paint. Despite outrebounding the Huskies 32-22, the Seawolves failed to convert, shooting 40% from the field to the Huskies’ 59%.

In a defensively challenging game, fouls made all the difference. Graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons collected four personal fouls, followed by sophomore forward Justice Tramble and sophomore guard María Sánchez Pitarch with three each. Still, the Huskies earned nearly double the Seawolves’ opportunities at the line and shot 77%, capitalizing on the physicality of the matchup. 

Sophomore guard Camryn Collins led the team with a career-high 21 points, adding two rebounds and three assists to her performance. Tramble dominated on the glass with a game-high seven rebounds and junior guard Yirsy Quéliz dished out four assists. Notably, the trio led all players in made free throws. 

After winning the tip, Tramble opened up scoring with a layup. Throughout the first quarter, the Huskies and Seawolves were neck-and-neck, exchanging baskets and committing 12 turnovers total, a nod to the fast pace and defensive pressure. The teams experienced most of their success from beyond the arc. With under two minutes to go, Simmons made two 3-pointers, the second coming off a volleyball-style block from Collins to end the quarter with momentum on the Huskies’ side. 

Less than a minute into the second quarter, Tramble and Simmons received personal fouls, setting a troubling tone. As a substitute for Tramble, sophomore forward Maya Summerville rose to the occasion — the occasion being her birthday. She earned the Huskies’ first points in the quarter with a driving layup before coming up with a steal, leading to another layup from Collins. 

Summerville finished her flashy sequence by forcing a backcourt violation with seven minutes left in the quarter. After the teams exchanged baskets, the Seawolves responded with three consecutive layups, facilitated by the Huskies’ poor ball handling and resulting turnovers, putting Stony Brook ahead one point at 25-24. Unfazed, the Huskies went on a 11-1 run in the last three minutes of the quarter, featuring another Simmons steal and fast-break baskets from Collins and Quéliz to build a nine-point lead and send the teams to halftime, 35-26. 

The second half began with a pair of free throws from Collins, who found herself at the line within the first 12 seconds. Collins scored the Huskies’ first seven points, following her free throws with a tip-in layup and a 3-pointer. Tramble surged later in the quarter, completing an and-one and causing the Cabot Center crowd to erupt into cheers. As if Tramble’s 3-point play was not exciting enough, a fastbreak assist from Quéliz to freshman guard Beatriz Pérez Pulgar in the corner for a buzzer-beating three at the end of the quarter got fans on their feet. 

Peak physicality came in the fourth quarter. Fouls on Collins, Summerville, freshman guard Kailee Beaudion-Foliaki and Tramble all within the first two minutes allowed the Seawolves to pull back within single digits, only down eight points with four minutes left, 62-54. Not to be outdone, the Seawolves committed 10 fouls of their own after the Huskies’ early missteps. As a result, the Huskies made more free throws than they did field goals in the fourth quarter, contributing 10 points to their decisive 73-60 victory.

The Huskies will aim to replicate their success against the North Carolina A&T Aggies (9-15, 4-9 CAA) Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. on the road. The Aggies notched a win in double overtime against the Huskies 84-83 in their previous meeting Jan. 9.