Box Score
GoNUXstream game recap | Post-game comments (Daynia La-Force and Christine Huber)

BOSTON -- Behind a game-high 25 points from senior captain Deanna Kerkhof (Wallaceburg, Ontario), the Northeastern women's basketball team picked up a double-digit win over cross-town rival Boston University, 73-62, on Tuesday night at Solomon Court.

With the win, Northeastern evens its record to 2-2 this year, while dropping the Terriers to the same mark. It marks the third victory in a home opener for NU under Daynia La-Force.

Kerkhof's 25-point performance came on 8-13 shooting from the field, including sniping 5-7 from three point range, and she also snagged nine rebounds and two assists. The guard was supported by the frontcourt duo of senior captain Christine Huber (North Babylon, N.Y.) and junior Jewel Tunstull (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Huber picked up her first double-double of the year with 14 points and 11 rebounds, also swatting five blocks and swiping four steals. Tunstull was second on the squad with 18 points, collecting nine rebounds and blocking two shots.

Northeastern out-rebounded BU 44-33 on the day, and shot 45.5 percent from the field to BU's 36.5 percent. NU was also a highly efficient 10-19 (52.6%) from three point range. Freshman Kazzidy Stewart (Lanham, Md.) set new career-highs with seven points and three rebounds, while sophomore Amencie Mercier (Pierrefonds, Quebec) dished out six assists to lead the team, also a new career best.

The Huskies led by as many as 20 in the first half, never tailing in the contest. Kerkhof scored early and often for the Huskies, including 16 points in the first half, with eight of NU's first ten points to open the game. Chantell Alford led the Terriers in scoring with 20 points, and Danielle Callahan added 18.

Kerkhof got the scoring started for Northeastern, driving the lane and connecting for the game's first bucket on a lay-in. Tunstull put back an offensive rebound on NU's next possession to give the Huskies an early four point advantage, before Kerkhof drained a pair of threes to make it 10-5 and force a BU timeout.

Stewart scored four straight points after the BU timeout, pushing NU's early lead to 14-5. After a BU bucket, Huber connected on a triple off the first career assist from Tiffany Montagne (Jackson, N.J.) to give NU a double digit lead, which it took into the 11:29 media stoppage.

An 8-3 run by the Huskies, including threes from Kerkhof and classmate Kashaia Cannon (Providence, R.I.), stretched their lead to 27-12 and forced a BU timeout at 8:06. A pair of buckets from Tunstull sandwiching a Huber block sent NU's lead to 31-13, before two threes from BU tempered it back to a 12 point game.

Huber responded to BU's 6-0 spurt with her second three of the game, keeping possession alive after a pair of offensive rebounds. A Stewart three and another Huber bucket capped the 7-0 response for Northeastern and forced another BU timeout, trailing 39-19 with 4:02 to play in the first.

BU cut the lead to 14 as the half waned, and Kerkhof and Alford traded threes in the final thirty seconds of the frame to make it 42-28 Northeastern at the break.

The Terriers opened the second half on a 13-2 run, before Cannon hit a runner to push it back to five at 46-41 heading into the first media stoppage of the half with 15:35 to play in the contest.

A Huber free throw and a Cannon jumper sent the Northeastern lead back to eight, but threes from Kristen Sims and Alford had BU within four. Kerkhof responded with a triple of her own to make it seven and NU took a 54-47 lead into the under-12 media timeout at 11:07.

The teams traded baskets after the break before Kerkhof went coast-to-coast after capturing a long rebound and converted a three-point play, giving NU a 59-49 lead with 8:55 to play. Huber kept the lead at 10 with a three pointer at 7:52, and Tunstull sent NU to the game's penultimate media timeout up double digits after a thunderous block of a deep ball.

BU slimmed the lead to seven again at 64-57 before the game's final media timeout at 2:49. Huber hit both ends of a one-and-one after the stop, then blocked a shot on the other end before Mercier connected with a wide-open Tunstull to send the lead back to double digits at 68-57 and force a BU timeout with 1:55 to play. The Terries scored five of the game's next six points to pull within seven, but NU broke the late game pressure and hit its free throws to seal the victory.

The Huskies have off for Thanksgiving weekend before returning home on Tuesday, Nov. 27 when they welcome Dartmouth to Boston for a 12 p.m. matinee.

Fans who were unable to see Tuesday's victory can watch the game on demand at GoNU.com/xstream.