Box Score

NEWARK, Del. –Despite a career-high 21 points from sophomore Samantha DeFreese, the Northeastern women's basketball team (7-12, 1-5 CAA) could not hold on as Delaware (12-6, 4-3 CAA) defeated the Huskies, 74-65, on Thursday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

DeFreese led the Huskies in scoring and added six rebounds, two steals and just as many assists. Kazzidy Stewart joined DeFreese in double-digits with 17 points alongside five steals and three rebounds, while senior center Jewel Tunstull contributed 15 points and a team-best eight rebounds. Tiffany Montagne added five points, Amencie Mercier logged three and Francesca Sally and Tanisha Hopewell recorded two apiece.

Kelsey Buchanan tallied a game-high 26 points and led a quartet of Blue Hens in double-figures.

Tunstull put the Huskies on the board with a layup from the left side on the first drive of the game. Delaware pushed a 15-0 run for an early 15-2 advantage until a jump shot from DeFreese broke the Blue Hen's streak. The teams exchanged baskets over the next three minutes before another DeFreese bucket triggered a 10-4 Northeastern surge, highlighted with back-to-back treys, to bring the Huskies within four. A 3-pointer from Mercier closed the gap to two, 29-27, but five late points from the Blue Hens closed out the half, 34-28.

Buchanan recorded a layup and a free-throw to start the second frame, but NU tallied the next eight points, thanks to two Stewart 3-pointers and consecutive free throws from Montagne. Over the next three minutes, the Huskies surrendered nine points as Delaware pushed its way to a double-digit lead.

The Huskies came within eight at the 9:25 and 7:28 marks, but that was the closest Northeastern would come until the final minute of play. A Montagne layup and DeFreese's second 3-pointer of the night closed the deficit to six with 48 seconds left in regulation, but three UD free-throw points sealed the deal for the Blue Hens, 74-65.

For the game, Northeastern shot 39 percent (22-57) from the field, 28 percent (7-25) from long range, and 93 percent (14-15) from the charity stripe. Delaware connected on 51 percent (25-49) of its shots, including 20 percent (1-5) from beyond the arc, and 89 percent (23-26) from the free-throw line.

Northeastern will return home for a pair of games against UNCW on Sunday, Feb. 2, and Towson on Tuesday, Feb. 4. The Huskies will then kick off a two-game road stint in Richmond, Va., to face first-place James Madison before heading to Charleston, S.C., for a matchup against conference newcomer College of Charleston.

Game Notes
• Samantha DeFreese posted a career-best 21 points to lead the Huskies for the first time in her career, also marking her first career 20-point game.
• Tunstull pulled down eight rebounds to lead the team for the 11th time this year.
• Northeastern has recorded 15 double-figure assist games this year as Tiffany Montagne led the squad with three.

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