Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. — Senior center
Jewel Tunstull logged her league-leading 10th double-double of the season, but it was not enough as the Northeastern women's basketball team (10-15, 4-8 CAA) dropped another close contest, 63-58, to Hofstra (11-12, 6-6 CAA) on Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex.
NU controlled the first half, holding Hofstra to just 33 percent shooting from the field, but in the final minutes of the frame the Pride took the lead and never looked back.
Tunstull led a trio of Huskies in double-figures with 22 points and 15 rebounds on the night. Sophomore
Tiffany Montagne logged 15 points, two assists and a steal, while captain
Amencie Mercier added 12 points and four assists.
A'lece Mark contributed six points and
Samantha DeFreese tallied three points to close out the scoring column for the Huskies.
Nine players contributed points for Hofstra, including 25 points from the bench. Annie Payton set the pace for the Pride with 12 points, three assists and a steal, while Anma Onyeuku had 11 points, two steals and a block.
Mercier put the Huskies on the board with a shot from beyond the arc, but both teams were held to just one bucket through the first four minutes of play. Hofstra drew a four-point lead with a 3-pointer and jumper before Northeastern drained back-to-back treys to post a 9-7 advantage. The Pride evened the score at nine and eventually pushed ahead with a jump shot, but a basket from Montagne triggered a 9-0 surge for the Huskies, highlighted by four points from Tunstull.
Hofstra chipped away at the deficit as the Huskies surrendered 11 points in the final minutes of the stanza. A 3-pointer by Krystal Luciano and an insurance layup put the Pride back in control, 24-21, but a Tunstull bucket closed the gap to one and sent the Huskies into the break, down 24-23.
Mark opened the second-half scoring with a free throw that evened the score at 24. Hofstra followed with a 3-pointer and, one minute later, recorded consecutive shots to push its advantage to 31-26 with 17:33 left in regulation. Tunstull and Mark teamed up and tallied NU's next eight points to match the score one last time, 34-34, but Hofstra took its game to the perimeter with a three and never looked back.
With 11:07 on the clock, a 3-pointer provided an eight-point cushion for the Pride. Montagne responded with one of her own to close the gap to five and prompt a Hofstra timeout. The teams exchanged baskets down the stretch, but HU was able to string together consecutive layups to record a double-figure lead in the 34th minute.
The Huskies could not slow the Pride's red-hot offense until a break after a Montagne 3-pointer. Mark matched the shot with a layup before Tunstull and Mercier logged four points, collectively, to come within five, but NU was unable to complete the comeback.
For the game, Northeastern connected on 37 percent (19-51) of its shots, including 33 percent (7-21) from 3-point range and 72 percent (13-18) from the free-throw line. Hofstra shot 42 percent (27-65) from the floor, 35 percent (6-17) from beyond the arc, and 43 percent (3-7) from the charity stripe. The Pride won the rebounding battle, 46-31.
The Huskies return home to host Drexel on Sunday, Feb. 23, for their annual Pink Game. Fans are encouraged to wear pink in support of the fight against breast cancer. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.
Game notes
> Tunstull led all scorers with 22 points and 15 rebounds, good for her league-leading 10th double-double of the season
> Mercier and Montagne recorded their 10th double-figure games of the season with 12 and 15 points, respectively
> The Huskies hold an 18-16 advantage in the all-time series over Hofstra
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