BOSTON - The Northeastern women's basketball team returns home to Cabot Center on Thursday, Feb. 13, to host William & Mary for NU Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day.
STORY LINES
• The Huskies and Tribe have battled 11 times since Northeastern joined the Colonial Athletic Association in 2005 as NU has enjoyed a 7-4 advantage in the series.
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Jewel Tunstull led the Huskies last week after pouring in 20.3 points-per-game, sparked by her career-high 26-point show against James Madison, in which she surpassed against CofC with a 29-point performance. Tunstull also led the Huskies on the boards for the week with 7.3 rebounds-per-game and added four blocks. The senior notched a career-best 14 free-throws against JMU to rank her second on NU's all-time performance list for free-throws in a single game. Tunstull leads the CAA in double-doubles with nine.
• The Huskies have landed five or more 3-point field goals in 20 total contests this season and have registered seven or more in eight of their last 10 games. Northeastern ranks second in the conference for 3-point field goals made.
• Northeastern is 8-0 when leading at halftime and owns a 6-1 record when outrebounding its opponent.
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIESÂ
With only six games left before the CAA Tournament, the Huskies look to improve on their 9-14 overall record before the season closes out. The team is 3-7 in CAA play after picking up a win at the College of Charleston on Sunday. Junior
A'lece Mark continues to produce offensively for the Huskies, averaging 16.6 points per game through 14 games. Senior
Jewel Tunstull has averaged 14.9 points per game through 23 contests and leads the CAA in rebounding with 9.2 per game. Tunstull led the Huskies in their win over College of Charleston after recording a career-best 29 points on the night, coupled with 14 rebounds to notch her league-leading ninth double-double of the season.
WILLIAM & MARY TRIBE
The Tribe enters Thursday's game hoping to put an end to a two-game losing streak after dropping games to Hofstra and James Madison last week. William & Mary holds a 5-16 overall record on the season and is 2-7 in conference play. The team is led offensively by Marlena Tremba, who averages 13 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. Kaitlyn Mathieu has also contributed offensively for the Tribe, posting an average of 12.5 points per game and leading the team in rebounds, averaging 7.7 per game. Tremba and Mathieu rank number 11 and 12 among the CAA's scoring leaders, respectively.
HUSKIES VS. TRIBE
Northeastern and William & Mary have battled 11 times since Northeastern joined the CAA and NU has enjoyed a 7-4 advantage in the series. Daynia La-Force has won seven of her 10 attempts against W&M, including a 71-69 overtime victory in Boston last year on Jan. 10. In that win,
Jewel Tunstull led four Huskies in double figures, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high 14 rebounds. This will be the be third time the teams meet twice in the regular season. It also occurred last season and the 2007-08 season.
LEADING LADY
Through 23 games
Jewel Tunstull has recorded nine double-doubles to lead the conference. Her first came against Rutgers when the lone senior totalled 14 rebounds and 18 points. Against Harvard, Tunstull notched her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Tunstull went a perfect 10-for-10 at the free-throw line, shooting 100 percent from the charity stripe for the third time this season. The last time an NU player shot a perfect 10-for-10 was on Jan. 27, 2006, when Maralene Zwarich accomplished the feat against VCU. Tunstull's most recent double-double came against College of Charleston when she notched a career-best 29 points and added 14 rebounds. The senior added to her list of career accomplishments when she logged her 1,000-career point against Massachusetts to become the 17th player in program history to earn the achievement.
DEFREESE FRAME
Sophomore
Samantha DeFreese has played a crucial role on this season's roster. With 646 minutes logged so far this year, the forward has notched career bests in every category, including a career-high 21 points against Delaware and 16 rebounds against UNCW. DeFreese has also recorded three double-doubles this year to make her one of just two players to do so. Her most recent came against Towson as the forward led the Huskies in scoring for the third consecutive game with 14 points alongside 12 rebounds. As a threat both offensively and defensively, DeFreese has tallied six games as NU's leading rebounder, second to
Jewel Tunstull, and pulls down 7.4 per contest.
CHERISHING THE CHARITY STRIPE
Northeastern has taken advantage at the free-throw line this season, especially in its most recent contests. In the last five games, the Huskies have shot over 74 percent at the charity stripe, including a perfect performance against Towson. The squad recorded a season-best 28 free throws against Albany on Jan. 4, 2014, the most since the Huskies notched 29 in a 100-94 overtime victory over Old Dominion on Jan. 7, 2010.
THREE'S COMPANY
Northeastern has made at least five 3-pointers in all but three contests this season, including two double-digit trifectas against NJIT and Drexel.
Kazzidy Stewart, who recorded five treys against Harvard, was joined by
Tiffany Montagne who hit five 3-pointers against Marist as the only current players to have recorded more than four 3-pointers in a single game during their tenure on Huntington Ave. Montagne then bested her career-high against UMass with seven threes to tie a program single-game best. The Huskies sit second in the CAA in 3-point field goals made and rank third in 3-point field goal percentage (.330).
COLONIAL TIME
NU entered the 2013-14 season having completed eight seasons in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 48-96 overall conference mark, including a 10-8 record last year. The Huskies have advanced to the CAA tournament quarterfinals in five of their eight tries, with four trips out of the first round under La-Force. Northeastern was projected to finish third in the conference this season, as announced in the preseason coaches poll on Oct. 21, 2013 at CAA Media Day. The third-place finish is the highest projected mark ever for the Huskies under La-Force. In six of La-Force's seven years at the helm, the Huskies have topped their preseason projection, including last year when they finished fifth after being tabbed sixth. This season, every CAA team will have the opportunity to play each other twice, once on the road and once at home. Northeastern began its ninth season in the conference against UNCW on Jan. 9, 2014, and walked away with a 60-54 victory before dropping five consecutive contests. The Huskies broke their losing skid after a 56-44 victory over UNCW for the second and final contest against the Seahawks this season, but lost consecutive games to Towson and James Madison. Northeastern enters Thursday's match up fresh off a 61-53 win over College of Charleston.
RECORD WHEN...
This season, the Huskies have held eight opponents under 60 points, claiming seven of those victories. During the 2012-13 slate, Northeastern held its opponents under 60 on 14 occasions and tallied 12 wins. This season, the Huskies also hold an undefeated 8-0 record when leading at halftime.
STEPPING UP
So far this season, the Huskies have seen five different players notch 20-point scoring games for 10 total in
A'lece Mark,
Tiffany Montagne,
Jewel Tunstull,
Samantha DeFreese and
Kazzidy Stewart. Last year, Northeastern closed out the season having only three players record 20-point games on nine occasions, including two from Tunstull. Northeastern has also had five different scoring leaders to top last year's four players.
TERRIFIC TIFFANY
After a breakout, record-setting performance, sophomore
Tiffany Montagne earned her first Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week honor as announced by the conference on Monday, Dec. 23. The Jackson, N.J., native earned the accolade after leading Northeastern with 26.5 points per game as the Huskies split the week, 1-1. Montagne notched a career-best 19 points against Marist, before besting her career mark with 34 points in a 95-76 win over UMass. The last time a Northeastern player scored 30-plus points was on Dec. 9, 2009, when Brittany Wilson tallied 34 against Harvard. Montagne is one of just two CAA players to record an individual 30-point game this season. Last week, Montagne shot a striking .606 percent (20-33) from the floor and .667 percent (12-18) from long range. Against UMass, the 5-7 guard logged a career-best seven made 3-pointers out of eight tries (.875) to tie a Northeastern program single-game record for made threes.
A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS
Against UMass, the Huskies tallied a program single-game best 26 assists. This season, Northeastern has recorded 17 double-figure assist games and three games of 15 or more assists.
Amencie Mercier currently leads the Huskies in assists, averaging 4.4 per game, ranking her second in the CAA.
DOUBLING UP
Five times this season, four or more players have scored in double-figures. The first came against NJIT when
A'lece Mark led a quartet of Huskies in double-digits. Mark contributed a game-best 18 points,
Jewel Tunstull chipped in 16,
Kazzidy Stewart logged 12 and Amencie Mericer posted 10 points. Against Maine, Tunstull led five NU players with a then season-high 21 points. Stewart joined the lone-senior in double-figures with 14 points,
Samantha DeFreese knocked in 12,
Tiffany Montagne notched 11, while
Amencie Mercier contributed 10 points. The last time Northeastern had five players in double figures was on March 6, 2013 when the Huskies defeated Hofstra, 88-81. After that, Montagne led four Huskies in double-figures as the sophomore posted a career-best 34 points. Mercier and DeFreese joined in with a career-high 18 and 17 points, respectively, while Tunstull chipped in 14. The most recent came against Hofstra when Tunstull (16) led starters Mercier (11), Stewart (11), and DeFreese (11) in double-digits. Last year, Northeastern saw five players hit double figures in the scoring column three times and four players hit double figures eight times.
RACKIN' UP THOSE POINTS
Eight players have marked new career highs in points this season.
A'lece Mark was the first to add to her record book when she notched 28 points in the Huskies' season opener against Boston University.
Tiffany Montagne launched 14 points against New Hampshire before
Kazzidy Stewart led all scorers against Harvard as she sank 25 points for a new career-best. Montagne broke her career-high again when she notched a team-best 19 points against Marist before besting her career mark with 34 points against UMass. The last time a Northeastern player scored 30-plus points was on Dec. 9, 2009, when Brittany Wilson tallied 34 against Harvard. Montagne is one of just two CAA players to record an individual 30-point game this season.
Amencie Mercier (18),
Samantha DeFreese (21), and
Sade Iriah (8) also logged career-high points against Massachusetts, while freshman DaChé Williams tallied a career-best 10 points against Tulane. Senior
Jewel Tunstull set a top-tier career mark three separate times this year, most recently stamping 29 points against College of Charleston on Feb. 9
SHINING STEWART
Kazzidy Stewart led Northeastern in scoring for the first time in her career against Harvard, notching a career-best 25 points and five 3-pointers. Stewart added to her well-rounded performance with eight rebounds, four steals and an assist. Prior to that, Stewart shot 100 percent from the floor in consecutive games. She went 3-for-3 against Rhode Island before landing a perfect 5-for-5 from the field against NJIT. Against Maine, Stewart was one of five Huskies to score in double-digits with 15, good for her third double-figure scoring game of the year.
HIGH-SCORING TRIO
Against Massachusetts,
Tiffany Montagne, Amencie Mericer and
Samantha DeFreese collectively scored 69 of the Huskies 95 total points to become the highest scoring trio since Jan. 7, 2010 when Kim Carr, Brittany Ilson and Jamie Conroy tallied 70 points against Old Dominion. Earlier this season,
Kazzidy Stewart,
A'lece Mark and
Jewel Tunstull collectively scored 60 of NU's 74 total points against Harvard. The last time a trio scored more than 60 was on Jan. 29, 2012, when Tunstull,
Deanna Kerkhof and Dani Ierovolino collectively recorded 64 points against William & Mary, when Northeastern walked away with an 82-71 victory.
COMING TOGETHER FOR #TEAMBLAKE
The Colonial Athletic Association recently took a look inside the Northeastern women's basketball program as part of its #CAAHoops In Focus series. The feature dove deeper than the Huskies' on-court exploits to uncover a different side of the team: its ability to rally around adversity. Earlier this year, associate head coach Tom Blake received news that his son, Brian, had been diagnosed with metastatic cancer. In the time since the video was release by the conference, Coach Blake has shared the exciting update that Brian underwent surgery and has been declared cancer-free.
From the very beginning of Brian's journey, the entire team has rallied to support Coach Blake and Brian in their continuous battle with the disease. Referring to the team as a 'family' has been a constant theme throughout the year, showing just how close the group has become and how connected they feel to the Blake family. The group coined the term "Team Blake" to refer to the single unit that encompasses both the Blake family and the entire women's basketball program. They all feel part of the same team when it comes to supporting each other.
Not only has the team played a major role in supporting Coach Blake and Brian during this difficult experience, but the Blake family has also inspired the women and given them a new perspective on their own lives.
Although Brian's journey isn't over, the Northeastern women's basketball team will continue to support both its coach and his son, and La-Force is confident that Team Blake will stick together during the ups and downs of this difficult time.
WEEKLY HONORS
The CAA has named a Northeastern player for a weekly honor three times this season, including back-to-back nods in the first two weeks of play. Most recently,
Tiffany Montagne earned her first weekly award after leading the Huskies over a 1-1 week, averaging 26.5 points per game.
Jewel Tunstull earned her first conference Player of the Week honor after posting two double-doubles as NU split 1-1 during its second week of play.
A'lece Mark earned the first CAA weekly accolade after posting a career-best 28 points in the Huskies' season-opening win over Boston University.
RELIABLE RETURNS
The Huskies return eight letter winners from last year's squad, including three starters in
Jewel Tunstull and captains
A'lece Mark and
Amencie Mercier. Also returning is sophomore guard
Kazzidy Stewart and junior forward
Samantha DeFreese.
Onia Webb,
Tiffany Montagne and
Tanisha Hopewell, who collectively made 35 appearances throughout the 2012-13 campaign, also return to the roster.
PRESEASON ALL-CAA HONORS
Lone-senior
Jewel Tunstull was honored by the conference's coaches, named to the Preseason All-CAA First Team.
A'lece Mark joined Tunstull in the accolades, earning a spot on the Preseason All-CAA Second Team.
HUSKIES TABBED THIRD
Returning three starters from last year's squad, the Northeastern women's basketball team has been predicted to finish third in the 2013 Colonial Athletic Association preseason coaches poll. The results of the poll were announced at CAA Basketball Media Day at the Renaissance Harborplace Hotel in Baltimore, Md., on Oct. 21, 2013. Third place is the highest NU has been projected to finish in the preseason poll under La-Force and places the Huskies above six teams, including 2012-13 CAA Champion Delaware. James Madison earned the top spot in the poll followed by Drexel, which finished last year's slate with a 25-11 record.
OH, CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN
Junior guards
A'lece Mark and
Amencie Mercier were named captains for the 2013-14 season. The duo became fixtures in the Northeastern starting five last season, helping the Huskies to their highest conference finish since joining the Colonial Athletic Conference in 2005. Both closed out the 2012-13 season ranked among the top assist leaders in the CAA, with Mark (3.36 apg) finishing third and Mercier (3.4 apg) placing fifth. Both also placed top 10 in steals and assist-to-turnover ratio. Combined, the pair posted 24 double-digit scoring games over their first two seasons, both setting career-highs during their sophomore campaigns. Both guards have played in all 60 games since they arrived on Huntington Avenue two years ago.
GOODBYE, FAREWELL
Northeastern tipped off the season without the on-court assistance of the 2012-13 tri-captains
Kashaia Cannon,
Deanna Kerkhof and Christina Huber. The trio made a significant impact on last year's roster as they etched their names in the Northeastern record books. Kerkhof finished tops on the squad and seventh in the CAA with 15.0 points per game, eclipsing the 1,000 point mark on Jan. 24 and ending her time on Huntington Avenue as the program's 14th leading scorer with 1,140 career points. Cannon, a southpaw sharpshooter, finished second on NU with 13.4 points per game, 11th league-wide. The majority of Cannon's damage was done behind the arc, as she knocked down a program single-season record 80 3-pointers on the year, placing 27th nationally with 2.7 trifectas per game and 16th in the country with a 40.8 percent mark from range. Huber now places third all-time in NU history with 116 blocks over the course of her career.
ROOKIE ROLL CALL
The Northeastern University women's basketball team welcomed three new student-athletes for the 2013-14 season. Head coach Daynia La-Force tipped off this year having added freshmen DaChé Williams,
Francesca Sally and sophomore
Briana Schnare. The three newcomers bring a versatile unit to the squad as it looks to win its first CAA Championship. Williams is a 6-2 forward hailing from Bloomfield, Conn., and Sally is a 6-1 center from Denver, Colo. Both come to Boston after decorated high school and AAU basketball careers. Schnare, a 6-3 transfer from Manhattan College will be essential in helping prepare the team's posts for battle next season, as she is sitting out of the 2013-14 campaign per NCAA transfer legislation.
#WINNING
Northeastern posted its first winning record since joining the CAA in 2005 last year, marking the first winning season since the 1999-2000 season. Overall, the Huskies have posted 19 winning seasons in their 47-year history, including a program-high seven in a row from 1980-81 to 1986-87.
THE BEST YET
With seven regular season non-conference wins during 2012-13, Northeastern had its most such victories since it began modern conference play upon joining the America East conference in 1997-98. With 10 wins in CAA play last year, Northeastern set a new program benchmark for conference wins since joining the Colonial prior to the 2005-06 season. The previous high was eight, set in 2007-08 and 2009-10. Northeastern's fifth-place finish in the league and No. 4 seed in the CAA Championship are both Colonial bests.
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