The Northeastern women’s basketball team (7-20, 3-14 CAA) lost to the Hampton Pirates (10-18, 4-12 CAA) 77-71 at home March 1. After leading for the first three quarters, the Huskies’ messy defense and poor ball handling led the Pirates to a comeback victory.
On paper, the teams appeared evenly matched. The Huskies were ranked 12th in the CAA, with the Pirates right above them at 11th. Both entered the game on losing streaks – the Huskies finished their difficult road trip with a 72-61 loss to Drexel University Feb. 27, and the Pirates earned their seventh loss in a row to the Stony Brook Seawolves 67-58 the same day. Though the Huskies defeated the Seawolves 73-60 Feb. 15, the team failed to demonstrate the same poise and sharpshooting against the Pirates.
The Huskies used the Pirates’ physicality to their advantage, earning nearly double the Pirates’ attempts at the foul line. However, they failed to capitalize on these opportunities. Overall, the Huskies shot 76% from the free throw line. In a tight fourth quarter, that rate dipped down to 58.3% as the Huskies lost control of the game. These struggles at the stripe, combined with Hampton’s higher percentage on field goals and 3-pointers, contributed to the loss.
Sophomore forward Justice Tramble led the Huskies’ offensive production. Tramble earned a game and career-high 24 points, collected four rebounds and shot 14 free throws. Back in her second game after an injury, sophomore guard Camryn Collins scored 12 points and notched seven rebounds, though she committed eight turnovers. Junior guard Yirsy Quéliz and graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons also added double-digit scoring performances and dished out two assists each.
The first quarter began with an and-one from Tramble, establishing a theme that would persist throughout the game. On the next possession, the Huskies forced a shot clock violation, signaling some defensive effort.
Two minutes in, the Huskies executed a flashy sequence, including a block from Tramble, a second-chance layup, a steal by Collins and a fast break layup. With three minutes left in the first quarter, the Huskies’ hustle created another exciting moment when a steal by Simmons led to a two-point basket from sophomore center Alyssa Staten.
Bringing the quarter to an end, Tramble scored a layup through contact to put the Huskies up 18-14. Tramble missed the free throw though, an early sign of the Huskies’ ultimate undoing.
Tramble opened up the scoring again with a layup to begin the second quarter. After failing to convert beyond the arc in the first quarter, Quéliz stole the ball and tallied the Huskies’ first 3-pointer two minutes in. The Pirates responded with a 3-pointer of their own. The quarter was a tug-of-war with steals, turnovers and baskets until the Pirates nearly caught up, down 25-21 halfway through the quarter. A well-timed, high-arching 3-pointer from Collins gave the Huskies more breathing room, but with two and a half minutes left, the score was close at 28-26.
Tramble made four free throws within a minute to extend the Huskies’ lead. The Pirates scored a 3-pointer with nine seconds left in the quarter, seemingly shifting the momentum to their side going into the third quarter. But as the Pirates’ defense swarmed her, Quéliz sank a 3-pointer at the buzzer, putting an exciting end to the half.
Third quarters are historically rough for the Huskies, and this one was no different.
Across the entire first half, the Huskies committed two fouls, while in the third quarter, they fouled six times. The Huskies gave the Pirates more opportunities at the line, which helped the Pirates close the scoring gap.
Sophomore forward Maya Summerville and Collins scored impressive fast break buckets at four and two minutes, respectively. While it was enough for the Huskies to sustain a 56-54 lead going into the fourth, they were outscored 23-19 in the quarter.
A foul-heavy fourth quarter proved to be the tipping point. Within a minute, Tramble and Simmons both converted at the line, but after racking up turnovers, the Huskies maintained only a 60-59 lead with eight minutes remaining.
The game began to slip away after Northeastern’s challenge of an out-of-bounds call was ruled unsuccessful – seconds later, the Pirates took the lead. Quéliz and sophomore guard Morgan Matthews made baskets to keep the Huskies in it, even taking back the lead momentarily, but the Huskies could not hold on after missing critical free throws.
The Pirates scored a layup with 32 seconds left in the quarter to seal their victory, and after even more trips for Hampton to the line, the Huskies lost their fourth consecutive game, 77-71.
Northeastern looks to get back in the win column against the Hofstra Pride (7-20, 5-11 CAA) at home for senior night March 7 at 1 p.m. The Huskies defeated the Pride 62-60 in their previous meeting Jan. 18.
