Box Score
GoNUxstream game recap | Post-game comments (Daynia La-Force)

BOSTON - Sluggish out of the gate, the Northeastern women's basketball team (14-10, 7-6 CAA) used an explosive second half to leave Georgia State (12-13, 4-10) in the dust, pounding the Panthers, 65-50, on Thursday night at Solomon Court.

Northeastern led by only three at halftime after trailing much of the first frame, but opened the second half on a 14-2 run to build a double-digit lead and never looked back. Redshirt-senior Kashaia Cannon (Providence, R.I.) and junior Jewel Tunstull (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied for the scoring lead, each dropping 18 points in the victory.

Cannon did most of her damage from beyond the arch, drilling 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Tunstull was 6-for-10 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free throw line, also grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. Sophomore A'lece Mark (Springfield, Mass.) was the third Husky in double figures, scoring 14 points, all in the second half, and leading all players with four assists.

Georgia State was led by 12 points from Ashley Watson and 10 for Kendra Long. The Panthers were mired by 34.5 percent (19-55) shooting in the game, going just 4-for-20 from 3-point range. GSU also turned the ball over 18 times and lost the battle on the glass, 37-27.

The Red and Black were without leading scorer Deanna Kerkhof for the contest, and instead leaned on contributions from key reserves. Rookie Samantha DeFreese (Bergenfield, N.J.) scored five points and grabbed four rebounds, while classmate Kazzidy Stewart (Lanham, Md.) scored two points and dished out a career-high three assists. Sophomore Tanisha Hopewell (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added two points, two rebounds and a block in a career-high 16 minutes off the pine.

Senior captain Christine Huber (North Babylon, N.Y.), who made her first start in three months in Kerkhof's wake, grabbed five rebounds and blocked three shots, while sophomore Amencie Mercier (Pierrefonds, Quebec) rounded out the scoresheet with five points and three assists.

After barely shooting 30 percent in the first half, NU flipped the script in the second to the tune of a 50 percent mark, converting 15-of-30 from the floor. On the day, the Huskies shot 41.5 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, assisting on 13 of their 22 field goals.

GSU's Tiffany Anderson got the game's scoring started, connecting on a back-door cut to lay in the first bucket of the contest. Cannon knocked down her first 3-pointer of the game at 17:46, tying the game at 4-all.

The Panthers took a 9-6 lead into the half's first media timeout at 15:56, and extended its lead to seven with two straight baskets after the stop to force a Northeastern timeout. Tunstull ended the 7-0 Georgia State run with a pair of free throws, and after Georgia State pulled ahead by seven again the Huskies rattled off a 10-0 run to go ahead 18-15 before the 7:37 media timeout.

A 3-pointer from GSU's Gaby Moss ended the run and tied the game back up after the stop, and after a Tunstull basket Long connected from range to give the Panthers a 22-20 lead. Northeastern responded by closing the half on a 7-2 run, highlighted by three straight points from DeFreese to end the period and the Huskies took a 27-24 lead to the locker room.

Tunstull led all players in the opening frame with eight points and seven rebounds, while Cannon added six. The Huskies held a slight 17-16 rebounding edge in the first, while both teams shot well under 40 percent from the floor.

Cannon got the scoring started in the second, burying her third 3-pointer of the day. Her basket sparked a 6-0 run for NU to start the period, giving the Huskies their largest lead of the day at 33-24 and forcing a GSU timeout less than two minutes into the half. A Tunstull lay-in after the stop pushed the lead to double digits for the first time, before Ashley Watson finally ended the run with the Panthers first basket of the half.

By the first media timeout of the second at 15:08, Northeastern had opened up a 15-point lead, going to the break up 41-26. NU kept the lead there for much of the second half, and a Cannon lay-in made it 52-34, forcing a Georgia State timeout with 9:11 remaining.

Georgia State closed within 14 on a pair of occasions, but never got any closer as the Huskies offense was able to answer every threat.

Up next, Northeastern hits the road to close its regular season away slate with contests at UNCW and Towson. First up are the Seahawks in Wilmington, N.C. on Sunday afternoon. The Huskies visit Trask Coliseum on Feb. 24 for a 2 p.m tip-off.

Game Notes:
- The 50 points allowed by NU are the lowest since Dec. 5 vs. Holy Cross (48)
- NU has held an opponent to 55 points or less 10 times, including GSU twice
- 14 wins this year tie the most during any season of Daynia La-Force's tenure at NU
- Christine Huber made her fourth start of the year, and first since Nov. 17 at Temple
- Kashaia Cannon has hit a 3-pointer in every game this season, at least two in 20 of 24 and four or more seven times
- Cannon has made five or more threes in each of NU's last three contests and has 68 this season, leaving her eight away from the single season record
- Cannon and Jewel Tunstull have tied for NU's scoring lead in the last two games
- Northeastern out-rebounded an opponent for the first time since Jan. 17 (38-31 over GSU)
- Samantha DeFreese made a career-high three free throws, and scored her first points since Jan. 6
- DeFreese tied a career-best with four rebounds, previously set on Jan. 3 vs. Rhode Island
- NU has won or tied the turnover battle in seven of its last eight games