Box Score |
InfographicBOSTON – In front of a roaring crowd of 1,015 fans at Cabot Center, the Northeastern Huskies scored several clutch baskets down the stretch to defeat crosstown rival Boston University, 75-74, earning their first win of the 2014-15 season and
Kelly Cole's first career win as a head coach.
The Huskies (1-0, 0-0) and Terriers (0-1, 0-0) went back and forth over the 40 minutes of action, resulting in 13 lead changes. NU relied on the leadership of upperclassmen
Samantha DeFreese,
Amencie Mercier,
Tiffany Montagne and
Tanisha Hopewell to secure the win, their third straight against BU.
The score was tied at 71-71 with just less than three minutes of action left. The Terrier's Sarah Hope converted on one of two free throws to give BU a 72-71 lead. Despite losing the lead, the Huskies never flinched and continued to run their high-energy offense, driving the ball quickly down the court.
BU, however, would go up by a three-point margin with 55 seconds left in regulation after Clodagh Scanell converted two free throws. Coach Cole called a timeout to game plan with her team and the Huskies responded. Sophomore center
Francesca Sally drove the lane hard and was able to draw a foul. She connected on her first free throw to bring the Huskies within two points of the Terriers.
Following the free throws, Boston University brought the ball up the court with 30 seconds left and put a shot on net. The shot missed, but the Terriers were able to grab the offensive board. Mercier, however, responded for the Huskies and generated a steal, then sprinted towards her basket with less than 20 seconds left on the clock. Again, Cole called a timeout to discuss what play the team would run.
After the quick timeout, NU inbounded the ball to DeFreese, who put up a shot that missed, but the junior was fouled during the attempt, resulting in two free throws. She was able to make the first one, but her second shot bounced off the rim into the hands of the Huskies' other captain, Hopewell. The senior then found a waiting Sally, who was able to put in the game-winning layup.
Several Huskies had outstanding starts to the season in the victory, as five members of the team scored in double-figures. At the head of the pack was DeFreese, who had a career-high 24 points, including several three-point plays as the clock winded down to keep the Huskies within striking distance. The junior forward also finished with 14 total rebounds, two shy of tying her career high.
Behind DeFreese on the stat sheet was
Kazzidy Stewart who had 13 points on 5 of 12 shooting, including three key 3-pointers. Both Mercier and Sally finished with 12 points – a career-high for the sophomore center – while
Tiffany Montagne ended her afternoon with 11 points on four of 13 shooting.
NU won several battles in the statistical categories over the course of the afternoon. Their 66.7 percent from the free-throw line topped the Terrier's 54.8 percent. Northeastern shot 43.8 percent from the floor, while Boston University shot 39.7 percent. Both teams, however, finished the game with 14 turnovers and seven made 3-pointers.
The back-and-forth first half ended with the Huskies leading the Terriers, 37-32. NU and BU played exceptional on both ends of the court, resulting in an exciting first half of basketball. Every time Cole's squad put together a strong offensive possession, BU seemed to respond with one of its own.
At the end of the first half, the Huskies were paced by DeFreese. The junior forward had 11 first-half points – three short of a career high – to pace the Huskies.
Along with DeFreese, the Huskies relied on the hot hand of Sally. The sophomore center had nine first-half points, a career-high, and six total rebounds. Pitching in solid efforts of their own in their first half were Mercier, Stewart and Montagne.
The first half featured nine lead changes between the two teams; Northeastern held the largest lead of the opening 20 minutes by five points.
The Huskies now turn their attention to a showdown on Tuesday, Nov. 18 against the No. 24 / RV Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. The game will be played in Piscataway, New Jersey, and will mark the first time NU sees a ranked opponent this season. Following its game against Rutgers, Northeastern returns home to play host to Marist at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 22.
Game Notes• Samantha DeFreese scored a career-high 24 points in the win. • Kelly Cole earned her first win as a head coach. • The Huskies have no won three straight against the Terriers. For complete coverage of Northeastern women's basketball, follow us on Facebook (GoNUwbasketball), Twitter (@GoNUwbasketball), and Instagram (@GoNUwbasketball). The Huskies also run their own blog, The Husky Huddle, for fans eager to learn more about the team and hear from the coaches and players directly.
Check out exclusive live and on-demand videos of Northeastern Athletics at GoNU.com/xstream and behind-the-scenes content on Instagram (GoNUathletics), Twitter (@GoNUathletics) and Facebook (GoNUathletics). For tickets, visit GoNU.com/tickets or call (617) 373-4700. .
