Box Score

BOSTON - The Northeastern women's basketball team received double-digit efforts from Deanna Kerkhof, Kashaia Cannon, and Amencie Mercier, but thanks to some lights-out shooting from UNCW, Northeastern took a heartbreaking loss to the Seahawks, 68-64, in the final regular season home game at Solomon Court.

UNCW's Tawanna Lee led all scorers with 23 points and a game-high seven assists. Jessica Freeman also chipped in 18 points for the Seahawks on five of 11 shooting from three-point range.

In her final home game in a Husky uniform, Kerkhof lead all Huskies with 18 points. A'lece Mark posted eight rebounds to lead the Huskies efforts on the boards.

The Saturday matinee at Solomon was a makeup game from Feb. 10, which was cancelled due to a storm that dumped over two feet of snow in the Boston area.

Northeastern (17-12, 10-8 CAA) closes out the regular season with an 11-3 record at home, having established a new program high for wins at home. UNCW (4-25, 3-15 CAA) ended a five-game losing streak, its third such streak of the season.

Northeastern had five different players score to start the game, jumping out to a 12-3 lead in the first five minutes. Mercier got the scoring started with a layup in the Huskies' first possession to take the 2-0 lead.

The Seahawks responded shortly thereafter with a three from Freeman to take a slight 3-2 edge. Northeastern then went on a 10-0 run thanks to a pair of buckets by Mark and additional baskets from Kerkhof, Cannon, and Jewel Tunstull.

The Huskies and the Seahawks then spent the majority of the first half trading buckets, with a three from Mercier pushing the Huskies' lead to a game-high 14 points, 32-18.

UNCW then went on a tear to close out the first half. A 10-2 streak aided by a pair of threes from Freeman brought the Seahawks within two possessions at 34-28. A Kerkhof bucket and a pair of Mark free throws were matched by buckets from Lee and Karneshia Garrett for bring the score to 38-32 with under a minute left in the half.

Cannon then hit a trey with 39.3 seconds left in the first to push the Northeastern lead to 41-32. That three tied Cannon with former Husky Melissa Kowalski (2000-2004) for most made three-pointers in a season at 76, a record Kowalski reached in the 2003-2004 season.

Brown answered for the Seahawks with a triple before the end of the half to close the Northeastern lead to 41-35.

Lee entered the break leading all scorers with 12 points, followed by Freeman who had 11 for the Seahawks. Kerkhof had a first-half high for the Huskies at 11, while Cannon and Mercier contributed with seven.

For a team known for their perimeter play, the Huskies commanded the paint against UNCW. Nine of the first 10 baskets made by Northeastern were layups, though they continued their success form beyond the arc with a three for six half.

On the other end, UNCW drained seven of 15 three-point attempts to keep them within reach of NU heading into the second half.

The Seahawks continued their sharp shooting in the early moments of the second half. Lee continued the three parade with another triple to bring the Seahawks within a bucket at 41-38. Following a free throw from Tunstull, UNCW went three of four from the line off two Kerkhof fouls to close the Husky lead to 42-41.

After the first media timeout, Tunstull sank a hook to bring the Red and Black lead back to three, but three consecutive threes from the Seahawks forced Northeastern head coach Daynia La-Force to call a timeout with her team trailing, 50-44.

The Huskies responded following the timeout with threes from Mercier and Christine Huber, but seven straight points by Kelva Atkins kept the Seahawks on top, 57-50.

UNCW hit its free throws in the final minutes to pull away from the Huskies, but a three by Cannon, which broke Kowalski's single-season three-point record, brought Northeastern within four, 63-59, with 24.2 seconds remaining.

A Kerkhof three with 1.9 seconds remaining brought the score to 67-64, but a free throw by Freeman sealed the victory for the Seahawks.

Northeastern, the No. 4 team in the Colonial Athletic Association, will now direct its focus towards the postseason as the Huskies head to Upper Marlboro, Md., to face fifth-seeded Hofstra in the CAA playoffs. Tipoff is Friday at 2:30 p.m.
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