2012-13 Digital Media Guide
Game Notes (PDF)
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Post-game comments from Dec. 1 win over NJIT (Daynia La-Force)
Riding a three-game winning streak, Northeastern returns home for two games with state rivals sandwiching a 17-day finals break. First up will be the Holy Cross Crusaders on Wednesday night, also currently on a three-game victory streak.
Last time out
In yet another gritty defensive performance, NU held NJIT to 28.9 percent shooting and forced 21 Highlander turnovers to leave Newark, N.J. with a 59-45 victory on Saturday. The Huskies led 31-17 at the half and never trailed on the day, holding a double digit lead the entire second half.
Kashaia Cannon led the offensive attack for the Huskies, scoring 16 points to lead the Red and Black.
Jewel Tunstull chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds, and
Deanna Kerkhof added ten with five boards.
Christine Huber also grabbed eight rebounds in the win, as Northeastern out-rebounded NJIT 50-29. It was NU's first 50-rebound performance of the season, and the Huskies also snagged a season-high 14 steals.
Catching up with the Crusaders
Holy Cross rolls across the Bay State to visit Boston with a 4-3 record on the year, with three wins in its last three tries. Most recently HC is coming off a 60-52 over the Manhattan Jaspers on Saturday, and also has victories this year over Yale, UMass and Central Connecticut. Alex Smith led the Crusaders in scoring with 13 points against Manhattan, and Raquel Scott added a 10 point, 12 rebound double-double. Smith is the team's leading scorer with 15.9 points per game. She is joined in averaging double figures by Brisje Malone at 10.6 points a contest and Christine Ganser with 10.1. Ganser is also HC's leading rebounder, pulling down 6.6 boards a game, and Malone leads the squad with 5.0 assists a contest. Holy Cross finished 19-15 last season, and Bill Gibbons has a 519-304 overall record in his 28th season at the helm.
History vs. Holy Cross
Northeastern and Holy Cross have met on the hardwood 18 times in the past, and HC holds a commanding 14-4 advantage in the series. However, Daynia La-Force has turned the rivarly around during her tenure, defeating the Crusaders three times in four tries, including wins in her first three encounters with HC. La-Force's only loss was a two-point triumph for HC in Worcester last season.
Pacing the Patriot League
The Huskies have battled six of the eight teams currently comprising the Patriot League in the past, with a 12-22 record overall in those contests. La-Force has fared far better than her predecessors against the league, compiling a 5-1 record against teams in the conference.
Matching up with Mass.
Northeastern is 108-111 all-time when facing opponents who also call the Bay State home, with a 80-94 mark against those programs which are also Division-I. This year the Huskies are 1-0 against state-mates after beating Boston Univeristy, with Holy Cross and Massachusetts still on the docket.
Categorically speaking
Several Northeastern players rank near the top of the conference in statistical categories.
Deanna Kerkhof is sixth in scoring (15.5 ppg), fourth in defensive rebounds (6.0/g), and seventh in minutes played (32.8).
Jewel Tunstull is third in field goal percentage (52.7%), ninth in rebounding (7.7 rpg) and third in offensive rebounding (4.3/g).
Kashaia Cannon is tenth in scoring (13.2), making NU just one of two teams along with James Madison to have a pair of teammates both in the top-ten.
Amencie Mercier is third in assists with 3.8 a game and is seventh in steals, snagging 2.2 a contest.
Kash you be killin' em
Kashaia Cannon has returned to the lineup in 2012-13 after missing all of last season following off-season surgery. The redshirt-senior is second on the squad with 13.7 points per game, and has led NU in scoring each of its last two games. She posted a season-high 19 on 7-10 shooting vs. Dartmouth on Nov. 27, then followed that up by dropping 16 against NJIT on Dec. 1. For her efforts in NU's 2-0 week, Cannon received CAA Co-Player of the Week honors on Dec. 3.
Defensive dominance
Northeastern has held four of its first six opponents this season to 50 points or less, and has not allowed any opponent to score more than 63. All four of those opponents have also failed to eclipse 20 points in the first half. The Huskies defense is ranked nationally in several categories, including coming in at seventh in field goal percentage defense (31.0%), the best mark in the CAA. NU is also 32nd in the country in scoring defense (51.7 ppg) and 35th in rebounding margin, holding a +8.5 mark.
Sweet home Solomon
After opening with three contests on the road, an 11-point win over Boston University on Nov. 20 kicked off Northeastern's 2012-13 home slate, and its home success continued with a 35-point win over Dartmouth on Nov. 27. Dating back to last season, the Huskies have won five straight and six of seven overall at Solomon Court. All six of those wins have come by a double digit margin. The last time NU opened its home slate with two straight victories, as it has done this year, was the 2009-10 season, when the Huskies opened with three consecutive wins at Solomon over Rhode Island, Army and Massachusetts.
Trifecta Train
The Huskies make more three-pointers per contest (8.7) than anyone else in the CAA, and also shoot for the highest percentage from deep at 40 percent (52-130). Both of those marks are top-15 nationally, as NU sits at seventh in the country in makes per game and 12th in percentage. The win over Dartmouth was NU's most efficient deep ball performance of the year, as they drained 13-20 (65.0%). The 13 made triples are tied for the most they've made in a game this year, also hitting the unlucky number against La Salle on Nov. 15. The long ball barrage is keyed by Kerkhof, who leads the league and is 21st nationally with 3.0 makes a game. Kerkhof is fourth in the conference with a 46.2% mark from deep, 26th in the country. Cannon is right behind her in makes, sitting third in the league with 2.8 triples per game, and her 43.6 percent mark is fifth in the conference. Those numbers are also 34th and 42nd in the country, respectively. Northeastern set a school record with 228 threes last year, leading the CAA and finishing 11th nationally at 7.6 a game.
Historical dominance
Northeastern has already blown out two teams this year by more than 30 points. The last time the Huskies had a pair of such throttlings in the same season was 1987-88, when they pounded Brooklyn in back-to-back games on Feb. 5 and 6, 1988. Northeastern's plus-14.5 scoring margin this season is the third highest total in the CAA and the 45th best mark in the country.
After the contest against Holy Cross, Northeastern will take a 17-day break for finals before hosting Massachusetts on Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. .
