Box Score
Post-game comments (Daynia La-Force)

MIAMI, Fla. -- Senior captain Deanna Kerkhof led all scorers with 22 points, but a strong second half surge by Florida International (7-4, 2-2 Sun Belt) was too much for Northeastern (6-3, 0-0 CAA) to overcome, and the Huskies dropped a 66-56 decision on Saturday evening in the opening round of the FIU Sun & Fun Classic.

The loss for Northeastern snaps its five-game winning streak, and is the first defeat for Northeastern since a Nov. 17 loss at Temple. The Huskies are now 0-2 all-time against FIU. The 56 point output is the lowest for the Huskies since scoring 47 the season opener on Nov. 11.

Kerkhof's 22 points came on 7-17 shooting from the field, and the Wallaceburg, Ontario native also led the Huskies in rebounding, pulling down six boards. Joining her in double figures for NU was senior co-captain Kashaia Cannon (Providence, R.I.) who scored 14 points, including a 3-6 mark from three-point range. Classmate and fellow co-captain Christine Huber (North Babylon, N.Y.) chipped in eight points and four rebounds.

FIU's win came despite turning the ball over 20 times to NU's 16, in part due to 13 Northeastern steals. The Panthers held a dominant 41-29 edge on the glass, led by 15 rebounds from Marita Davydova to go along with 11 points to give her a double-double. Jerica Coley, who came in ranked sixth nationally in scoring, led FIU with 19 points, and the Panthers in total saw five players hit double figures.

Northeastern led for most of the first half, and was up as many as nine in the second half before the Panthers took their first lead since the early going with a touch under nine minutes to play in the contest.

Kerkhof made the game's first basket, connecting from three at the top of the key with the shot clock expiring. FIU scored the game's next seven points to go up 7-3 after the half's first media stoppage, before Kerkhof and Amencie Mercier (Pierrefonds, Quebec) hit back-to-back lay-ups to end the run and tie the contest at the 11:51 stoppage.

The Huskies used a 12-4 run overall, capped by another Kerkhof three, to take a 15-11 lead midway through the first half. Coley ended the run with a steal and coast-to-coast finish, pulling the Panthers within two at 6:00 of the first half. Three straight points from Cannon gave NU its largest lead of the early going at five, and a Samantha DeFreese (Bergenfield, N.J.) lay-in kept it there at 20-15 before the half's final timeout at 3:02.

After a Huber jumper and Kerkhof three, FIU was forced to use its first timeout at 1:52 of the first, trailing 25-16. The Panthers charged back after the timeout, closing the half on a 7-0 run to send the contest to the break with the Huskies leading 25-23.

Kerkhof's 11 first half points led all players, as NU shot 10-23 (43%) from the floor, holding FIU to a 9/28 (32%) mark. The Panthers dominated the glass in the opening stanza, notching a 20-14 rebounding edge, including pulling down 11 offensive boards.

The second half scoring opened the same way the first half's did, with Kerkhof sending home her fourth three of the day. Cannon followed her classmate and co-captain's suit with a triple of her own to give NU a seven point lead, before Coley made it 33-28 Northeastern at the 15:43 stoppage.

The Panthers went on a 7-2 run after the break, cutting the NU lead to 36-35 and forcing a Northeastern timeout with 14:20 to play. Kerkhof and FIU's Zsofia Labady traded threes after the stop to keep the lead at one, where it stayed at 39-38 heading into the 11:55 media break. Kerkhof hit a pair of technical free throws coming off the stop, after a technical foul was assessed to the FIU bench immediately prior to the timeout.

Cannon's second three of the game pushed the Northeastern lead back to four at the midway point of the final stanza. The Panthers responded with the game's next five points, taking a 45-44 lead at 8:41, marking their first lead since the first ten minutes of the contest. The lead was short-lived with A'lece Mark (Springfield, Mass.) connecting to put the Huskies back on top, and the teams traded leads in the later stages of the second half. A Labady three with 4:26 to play put FIU up 55-50, the Panthers largest lead of the contest.

Overall, FIU closed the game by scoring 16 of the game's final 22 points, stretching its lead to as many as 11 as time dwindled and closing out the 66-56 victory. The 66 points allowed mark the most for an NU opponent this season.

The Huskies will have a quick turnaround as they finish off their time at the Sun & Fun Classic tomorrow afternoon at 4 p.m., taking on the loser of the Georgia Tech and Quinnipiac game tonight.