Game Notes (PDF)
On the web: GoNUxstream with David Gass (PxP) and Dani Iervolino (color): Video | Audio
Live Stats | Buy tickets
Post-game comments from George Mason (Daynia La-Force)

Conflicting styles collide on Thursday night as the CAA's top scoring Northeastern women's basketball team (11-6, 4-2 CAA) attacks the league's second best scoring defense and Drexel's first-place Dragons (12-4, 5-0 CAA). Tip-off at Solomon Court is set for 7 p.m.

Last Time Out
NU won its second straight on the road and swept its season series with George Mason, outlasting the Patriots for a 60-51 victory in Fairfax, Va. Deanna Kerkhof led the scoring charge for NU, scoring 16 points as the Huskies rallied from down seven early in the second half with a 13-0 run and never looked back. Joining Kerkhof in double figures were her fellow senior tri-captains Kashaia Cannon and Christine Huber, who scored 14 and 10, respectively. Jewel Tunstull pulled down 14 rebounds for the Huskies, and A'lece Mark dished out a game-high five assists. Northeastern was willed to the victory by strong three-point shooting, connecting on 9-21 from long range. Cannon led that charge, dialing in 4-7 from beyond the arc.

Drawing up Drexel
The CAA's lone 5-0 team, Drexel has been led this season by senior Hollie Mershon, who is second in the CAA in scoring with 17.5 points a game. Mershon is also DU's top rebounder, pulling down 7.1 boards a contest.  The do-it-all guard is also tops on the Dragons and second in the CAA with 3.9 assists per game. Joining her in double figures for Drexel is reigning CAA Co-Player of the Week Taylor Wootton, who averages 10.6 points a game on 53.6 percent shooting from the floor, the third best mark in the conference. Drexel as a team leads the league in free throw percentage, assists and field goal percentage, and is second in scoring defense. The Dragons have allowed only one team to eclipse 60 points this year, leading to a +9.4 scoring margin, third highest in the CAA. UD has won each of its last five games, all in CAA play, over Towson, James Madison, UNCW, Hofstra and William & Mary. On the year, the Dragons are 9-2 away from their home floor in road or neutral site games.

Remember my last...
The Huskies and Dragons have battled 37 times in the past, dating back to the 1991-92 season. Formerly both members of the North Atlantic Conference and later the America East, NU held a 16-7 advantage before the teams reunited in the CAA when the Huskies joined in 2005-06. Since then, Drexel has enjoyed a 12-2 edge in the series, including winning the last nine installments. Northeastern's last victory over UD was on Jan. 31, 2008. Drexel swept the season series last year, winning 66-39 in Philadelphia on Jan. 19 before taking a 63-41 decision on Super Sunday on Feb. 5. In that game, the Dragons were led by an 18 point, 11 rebound double-double from Kamile Nacickaite, while Jewel Tunstull paced the Huskies with 12 points.

Ka$h Money
Redshirt-senior captain Kashaia Cannon had the best shooting day of her career at Georgia State on Jan. 17, hitting 8-of-11 from the field en route to a game-high and season-high 21 points in the win. It was the Providence-native's first 20-point output of the season and the fifth of her career. The southpaw sharpshooter has knocked down a three pointer in every game this year, hitting two or more 13 times, and has tickled the twine from deep four times on four separate occassions. Cannon has also started every game this year and played at least 24 minutes in every contest, committing only 15 fouls and 30 turnovers in 524 minutes.

Dazzling Deanna
Senior captain Deanna Kekrhof led NU in scoring for the seventh time this year at George Mason on Jan. 22. She has also led NU on the glass four times, and on the year, she is averaging a career-best 5.6 boards a game. Kerkhof has hit double figures in the scoring column 14 times this year, and 48 times in her career. The preseason All-CAA first team selection is top-15 in the league in points, steals, defensive rebounds, three pointers per game, three-point field goal percentage and free throw percentage. Her three-point field goal percentage was recently ranked seventh in the country, and she has turned the ball over only 25 times in 17 games.

Goin' National
In the NCAA statistics report released after games of Jan. 20, Northeastern had staked among the nation's best in a variety of categories. The Huskies were 17th in the country with 7.9 three pointers per game, knocking them down at the 13th-best clip nationally with a 36.5 percent mark. NU is also 38th in field goal percentage defense, stifling opponents to a 35 percent mark from the floor. The Huskies' +9.1scoring margin is 64th nation-wide, their 4.2 blocks a game are 70th and their 10.5 steals per game are 75th. Northeastern's 42.3 field goal percentage is 53rd in the country, and its 68 points a game is 73rd.

Galloping to a Grand
Kerkhof and Cannon are on pace to become Northeastern's 15th and 16th members of the 1,000-point club this season. Kerkhof has 260 points this year, leaving her only three points shy of the mark with 997 for her career. She moved into 15th on the all-time scoring list in her last outing, and is 91 from moving to 14th. Cannon's 222 points this year have her at 880 for her career, 120 away from going centennial. She jumped into the top-20 on the all-time list at Georgia State, now sitting only three away from 19th. The guards would become the first two players to hit 1,000 since Ashlee Feldman reached the mark in the 2008-09 season, and the second and third players to achieve the feat under Daynia La-Force.

Solid at Solomon
NU opened its home slate 7-0 this season, before finally being stopped by Delaware on Jan. 15. The seven straight wins in a single season tie
a program record, and matches NU's best start to a home slate, as they also opened 7-0 at home in 2003-04. Overall, NU won 10 straight dating back to last season, the second longest total home winning streak in Northeastern history. The longest-ever streak ran between seasons from Feb. 16, 1985 to Feb. 19, 1986. Several Huskies enjoy major shooting advantages on their home floor. Jewel Tunstull makes 69.1 percent of her shots from the floor at home, nearly 15 points higher than her total average. Kerkhof hits 49.1 percent from three in Boston, and connects on 91.7 percent from the free throw line. Christine Huber has also found Solmon's charity stripe kind, converting 87.5 percent of her attempts. A'lece Mark shoots 50 percent from beyond the arc at home, and averages 11.4 points a game, nearly three more than her total season average.

Fans who cannot make it out to Cabot Gym for Thursday night's contest can, as always, enjoy a live and free high defintion stream at www.GoNU.com/xstream. Following the contest Thursday, NU hits the road again with a trip to Newark, Del. and the Fightin' Blue Hens of Delaware. Tip-off on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at the Bob Carpenter Center is set for 7 p.m.