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

BOSTON - A pair of Kashaia Cannon free throws with 17.2 seconds remaining sealed a hotly contested contest between the Northeastern women's basketball (12-8, 5-4 CAA) and the Towson Tigers (7-13, 1-8 CAA) in a 59-56 Huskies win on Sunday afternoon at Solomon Court.

Cannon (Providence, R.I.) sunk her two from the stripe after Towson used a furious 10-2 over the game's final five minutes to close a double-digit gap and pull within one. The Tigers only led the contest at 2-0, but stayed close throughout the second half.

Senior tri-captain Deanna Kerkhof (Wallaceburg, Ontario), who was honored prior to the contest for scoring her 1,000th career point on Jan. 24, led NU with 14 points, also grabbing six rebounds. Sophomore A'lece Mark (Springfield, Mass.) scored 13, including nine in the second half on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown. Mark added a team-high five assists and three steals. Cannon was the third Husky in double figures with 11 points, and Jewel Tunstull (Brooklyn, N.Y.) scored seven along with a game-high 14 rebounds and two blocks.

Tanisha McTiller led all players for Towson, pouring in 30 points on 12-of-25 shooting from the field. The 30-point output for McTiller is the second highest single player mark against NU this year, behind only Drexel's Hollie Mershon's 33 on Jan. 24. McTiller also grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds for the double-double. Michelle Peebles added 12 points for Towson, and Nyree Williams notched eight points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Rounding out the scoresheet for NU was sophomore Amencie Mercier (Pierrefonds, Quebec) who scored six points, dished out four assists and notched a game-high four steals. Senior tri-captain Christine Huber (North Babylon, N.Y.) added five points, while rookie Kazzidy Stewart (Lanham, Md.) chipped in three.

The Huskies shot only 32.2 percent (19-59) from the floor on the day, the third-lowest total of the season, but connected on 11-of-30 (36.7%) from three-point range. The 11 made triples are tied for third-most in a game this year, and mark the first time NU has eclipsed ten from long range since Jan. 3 against Rhode Island. Conversely, NU held Towson to 0-for-13 from beyond the arc, its best perimeter defense performance of the season. The Huskies last held an opponent without a triple at Temple on Nov. 17 this season.

Northeastern used 13 steals to force 21 Towson turnovers, and grabbed 16 offensive rebounds despite losing the battle on the glass, 41-36. The Huskies assisted on 14 of their 19 made baskets, led by five helpers from Mark, and converted 10-of-14 from the free throw line.

The game went to halftime with Northeastern up 33-28, and they held the lead throughout. However, NU never led by more than 12, and McTiller and the Tigers were able to answer every Husky run until the game's final possession.

McTiller scored the game's first bucket, before Mercier and Cannon responded with a pair of triples to put the Huskies on top. Kerkhof got in on the three point barrage with her first of the day before the game's first media break, sending NU to the 15:26 stop leading 11-7.

Four straight from Kekrhof, including a pair of technical free throws at 12:16 after a bench technical foul on Towson, gave NU a 16-9 lead, its largest of the day. NU pushed its lead to as many as nine, but Towson battled back to make it 23-20 before the 7:55 break.

A runner from Mark at 5:40 of the first snapped an 0-for-8 stretch from the field for the Huskies, putting them back on top by five. The basket sparked an 8-2 run for NU, giving them a 31-22 lead with three minutes left in the opening stanza. Four straight points to close the half for Towson pulled them within 33-28 at the break.

McTiller and Peebles tied for the game-lead with 12 points at halftime, while Kerkhof led NU with 10. Tunstull was tops among all players with 11 rebounds, despite Towson holding a 24-23 edge on the glass. The Huskies took a five-point lead to the break despite shooting 29.7 percent (11-37) from the floor in the first frame.

Towson scored the first four points on the second, pulling within one at 33-32 before a Cannon triple. The trey sparked a 7-0 Husky run, sending NU to the 15:30 break leading 40-32. A Stewart three at 14:05 pushed NU's lead back to nine, before a long ball from Huber gave NU its largest lead of the day at 46-34.

The Tigers answered right away with six straight, sending the game to the 11:45 media break at 46-40. Another McTiller bucket with 9:12 to go made it four, before Kerkhof connected on a lay-in to end an 8-0 Towson run. The Tigers got within four again at 48-44, before a pair of consecutive triples from Mark pushed the NU lead to ten again, forcing a Towson timeout with 6:47 remaining.

Another Mark three gave her nine a row for the Huskies, stretching the lead to 11 before a McTiller answer on the other end to make it 57-48 before the game's final media stop at 3:46. Towson scored four straight after the timeout within five, and La-Force took time with 2:58 to play. Another TU bucket with 2:08 to play cut the lead to three, and a Mercier steal got NU the ball back up still up three before a Towson timeout with 49.3 seconds remaining.

After the timeout, Tiger pressure forced a Northeastern turnover with 33.5 seconds remaining. McTiller knocked down a baseline jumper to pull Towson within one, and Cannon went to the line for NU with 17.2 seconds remaining. The tri-captain sunk a pair from the stripe, putting NU back up three before another Towson timeout with 14.4 seconds to play. Dominique Johnson had a look from three in the final seconds, but her attempt missed long and the Huskies held on.

Next up, the Huskies head to Long Island for a visit to the Mack Sports Complex and a CAA showdown with the Hofstra Pride. Tip-off from Hempstead, N.Y. on Thursday, Feb. 7 is set for 7 p.m.