Box Score

BOSTON—Four players scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season, but it was not enough as the Northeastern women's basketball team (7-10, 1-3 CAA) dropped a 65-55 decision to Colonial Athletic Association rival Hofstra (7-10, 2-4 CAA) on Thursday night at Cabot Center.

Senior center Jewel Tunstull led all scorers with 16 points and added nine rebounds. Captain Amencie Mercier, Kazzidy Stewart, and Samantha DeFreese tallied 11 points a piece, while Tiffany Montagne chipped in six points to round out the scoring column for the Huskies.

Elo Edeferioka set the pace for Hofstra with 12 points and just as many rebounds, good for the only double-double performance of the night. Asia Jackson and Anma Onyeuka contributed 10 points each as the Hofstra bench recorded 23 of the team's 65 total points.

Both teams came out of the gate with strong defensive performances, keeping the score blank through the first three minutes of play. Hofstra jumped on the board first with a jumper to trigger a 7-0 run and force Northeastern head coach Daynia La-Force to call for the first timeout of the game. The Huskies responded with a layup and jump shot thanks to a Tunstull and DeFreese tandem, but five points for the Pride pushed NU into the under-12 media timeout, trailing 11-4.

Following the breather, Northeastern claimed three of the next four shots, including a trey from Stewart to bring the Huskies to within three, but the Pride pulled away once again with a 3-pointer of its own. Mercier kept NU alive after making some noise with consecutive shots from beyond the arc, but Hofstra extended its advantage by nine after stringing together a trio of buckets inside the paint.

With 2:25 left in the first frame, DeFreese drained a three to close the gap to six, but it was not enough to stop the Pride from entering the half with a 32-23 advantage.

DeFreese made the first move of the half, posting three points thanks to a jumper and free throw. Unfortunately for the Huskies, Hofstra landed back-to-back 3-pointers for its first double-figure lead of the game, 38-26. A pair of layups from Tunstull closed the gap to just five points with 15:29 on the clock, but the Pride maintained at least a six-point advantage over the next five minutes.

A couple of 3-pointers from Hofstra's Kelly Loftus and three layups extended the Pride's lead to 16, good for its largest lead of the contest. Northeastern did everything they could to slow Hofstra's momentum in the final minutes, including a strong performance from beyond the arc with a trio of 3-pointers, but the Pride snagged its second CAA victory with a 65-55 victory.

Northeastern connected on 35 percent (19-54) of its shots, including 33 percent (7-21) from 3-point range and 77 percent (10-13) from the charity stripe. Hofstra shot 44 percent (25-57) from the field, 43 percent (9-21) from beyond the arc, and 67 percent (6-9) from the free-throw line. The Pride won the rebounding battle, 40-32.

The Huskies continue conference play when they hit the road for a matinee matchup against Drexel on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 2 p.m.

Game Notes
• Four players scored in double-figures for the fifth time this season.
• Jewel Tunstull led NU for the seventh time this year with 16 points, good for her 11th double-digit scoring game this year.
• Amencie Mercier recorded her eighth double-figure scoring game of the season with 11 points.
• Samantha DeFreese notched her seventh double-digit scoring game of the year with 11 points.
• Kazzidy Stewart logged her first doube-figure scoring game since the start of conference play with 11 points.
• Northeastern is now 18-15 all time against the Pride.
• The Huskies have hit at least five 3-pointers in six consecutive games.

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