Box Score Box score

Northeastern evened its record to 4-4 with a 55-46 victory over Vermont on Wednesday night in Burlington, Vt. The Huskies won their second-straight contest against an America East opponent after defeating Boston University on Monday. Northeastern had eight players contribute offensively, with three Huskies scoring in double-digits.

Sophomores Rachael Pecota and Afreyea Tolbert each scored 12 points to lead the Huskies. Pecota added five rebounds, three steals and three blocks to her stat line while Tolbert grabbed three rebounds and two steals.

Junior Kashaia Cannon added 11 points for the Huskies, going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Classmate Jamie Conroy contributed nine points and four rebounds while adding a team-high three assists.

Vermont's Tonya Young led all scorers with 14 points while Jasmine Cooper and Lauren Buschmann also added double-digit performances for the Catamounts, tallying 11 and 10 points, respectively. The loss moved Vermont to 0-8 on the season.

The game got off to a slow start, as a layup by Tolbert tallied the only points scored in the opening four minutes by either team. Tonya Young got the Catamounts on the board with baskets on two consecutive Vermont possessions, but Conroy converted two opportunities from the charity stripe to even the score at 4-4. The Catamounts regained the lead with a fastbreak layup but Iervolino buried the ball from beyond the arc to send the Huskies into the second timeout on the floor with a 7-6 lead.

Vermont outscored Northeastern 4-2 coming out of the break but the Huskies took the lead when Conroy stepped in front of a Catamount pass and dished the ball to Tolbert on the fastbreak, allowing Northeastern to regain an 11-10 advantage with 7:15 left on the clock.

The Huskies used a 7-4 run to end the half and send the teams to the locker room with Northeastern ahead, 17-15. The seventeen points marked the lowest offensive output in the first half for the Huskies this season. Both teams struggled in the opening period, with the Huskies and the Catamounts both shooting 7-for-24 from the floor for a 29.2 field goal percentage.

Vermont struck first in the second half, tallying a layup on the opening possession to tie the game at 17-17. Pecota put the Huskies back on top by two with a jumper from the top of the key and Northeastern would not trail for the rest of the game. The Huskies rode a 6-3 run to lead 25-20 when a timeout was called at 16:58. A pair of foul shots from Young put the Catamounts back within three, but a Pecota jumper put Northeastern ahead, 27-22. The Catamounts quickly countered with a 3-point field goal from Young and then Vermont split the Huskies' full-court press to even the game at 27-27.

The score would be tied three more times before the Huskies began to pull away from a 33-33 knot. Cannon had the opportunity for a three-point play, but missed her shot from the foul line, making it 35-33 Huskies. Conroy then stole the ball away from the Catamounts and was fouled going to the hoop. The junior converted both chances from the charity stripe, pushing Northeastern's lead to 37-33 with 7:22 left on the clock. Cannon buried a three after a Mia Mayberry steal to make it 40-33 before the Catamounts got back on the board with a jumper from Jasmine Cooper.

Northeastern held a 44-37 lead with a timeout called at 2:58 to play. Cooper converted a three-point play for the Catamounts after the break but Vermont would not manage to pull within five points for the remainder of the game. The Huskies utilized the free-throw shooting of Cannon and Pecota in the final minutes to leave Patrick Gymnasium with a 55-46 victory.

Northeastern finished the game with a 39.2 field goal shooting percentage and went 12-for-13 from the free-throw line. The Catamounts ended the contest shooting 36.7 percent from the field.

Vermont ended with a 41-25 rebounding advantage but the Catamounts committed 31 turnovers, compared to the Huskies' 18.

Northeastern will take an 11-day break from action for final exams and return to the floor on Sunday, Dec. 19 to welcome Miami (Ohio) to Solomon Court. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.