BOSTON - The Northeastern women's basketball team welcomes Drexel on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m., as the Huskies host their annual Pink Zone game to support the fight against breast cancer. Each NU player will dedicate the game to a loved one who has been affected by the disease. Fans are encouraged to wear pink to show their support.
STORY LINES
• The Huskies and Dragons are meeting for the 40th time in program history as Drexel holds an 21-18 edge in the overall series.
• Last week:
Samantha DeFreese earned Colonial Athletic Association Player of the Week after recording her fourth career double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to help the squad to a 78-57 victory over William & Mary.
• Last time out:
Jewel Tunstull logged her league-leading 10th double-double of the season, but it was not enough as the squad dropped another close contest, 63-58, to Hofstra on Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex.
• Tunstull ranks 39th in the NCAA for field-goal percentage and is shooting 53.9 percent from the field so far this year. The lone senior also sits 61st in rebounds per game, averaging 9.4 per contest.
• As a team, the Huskies are shooting 74.3 percent from the charity stripe to rank 33rd among Division I women's basketball.
NORTHEASTERN HUSKIESÂ Â Â Â Â Â
With only four games left before the CAA Tournament, the Huskies looks to improve its 10-15 overall record when they host Drexel on Sunday. Since the last outing against Drexel, Northeastern has gone 3-4, all in league play. Most recently, the Huskies fell at Hofstra, 63-58 to snap a two-game winning streak for Northeastern, which saw them win at the College of Charleston and against William & Mary. The squad is led by lone-senior
Jewel Tunstull who is averaging 15.4 points and 9.4 rebounds per contest and shooting a league-leading 54 percent from the field. The Huskies rank in the top 75 in 3-point field goals per game and top 50 in free-throw percentage among NCAA women's basketball.
DREXEL DRAGONSÂ Â Â Â Â Â
Drexel is looking to snap a two-game losing skid, which has seen it fall at home to the top two teams in the conference, James Madison and Delaware. Most recently, the Dragons ceded a 10-point first-half lead and fell to Delaware on Tuesday, 55-50. Tory Thierolf scored a career-high 16 points to lead Drexel, but the Dragons could not get anything going inside as they were outscored in the paint, 22-2, and slipped below .500 on the season. Drexel is led by Rachel Pearsons who is the only member of the team to average double-digit points with 10.9 per contest. As a team, the Dragons are shooting 40 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3-point range, and 73 percent from the free-throw line.
HUSKIES VS. DRAGONS
Northeastern and Drexel have battled 39 times in the past, dating back to the 1991-92 season. Formerly both members of the North Atlantic Conference and later the America East, NU held a 16-7 advantage before the teams reunited in the CAA when the Huskies joined prior to the 2005-06 season. Since then, Drexel has enjoyed a 12-2 edge in the series, including winning the last nine meetings. Northeastern's last victory over UD was on Jan. 31, 2008. Drexel won the lone-match up of the 2012-13 seasosn, defeating the Huskies 85-73 at Cabot Center.
LEADING LADY
Through 25 games
Jewel Tunstull has recorded ten 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 and 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 Hofstra when she led the field with 22 points and 15 rebouds. The senior added to her list of career accomplishments when she logged her 1,000th-career point against Massachusetts to become the 17th player in program history to earn the achievement.
DEFREESE FRAME
After helping the Huskies to a win over William & Mary last Thursday, sophomore
Samantha DeFreese earned her first CAA Player of the Week accolade. DeFreese shot lights out as she scored 18 points after shooting 7-of-10 (.700) from the floor, including 3-for-5 (.600) from 3-point range. The sophomore forward paired her 18 points with 14 rebounds for her fourth career double-double and added two steals and an assist. DeFreese has played a crucial role on this season's roster. With 679 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. As a threat both offensively and defensively, the 6-0 forward has tallied seven games as NU's leading rebounder and three contests as the scoring leader.
CHERISHING THE CHARITY STRIPE
Northeastern has taken advantage of its opportunities at the free-throw line this season, especially in its most recent contests, and leads the CAA in free-throw percentage. In the last six 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 Massachusetts with seven threes to tie a program single-game best. The Huskies sit second in the CAA in 3-point field goals made (7.0 per game) 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 entered the week, riding a two-game winning streak before losing to Hofstra on Thursday.
RECORD WHEN...
This season, the Huskies have held nine opponents under 60 points, claiming eight 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 9-0 record when leading at halftime.
STEPPING UP
So far this season, the Huskies have seen five different players notch 20-point scoring games for 15 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 Massachusetts . 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 60.6percent (20-33) from the floor and 66.7percent (12-18) from long range. Against Massachusetts , 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 Massachusetts , the Huskies tallied a program single-game best 26 assists. This season, Northeastern has recorded 19 double-figure assist games and three games of 15 or more assists.
Amencie Mercier currently leads the Huskies in assists, averaging 4.3 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.
POINTS ON 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 Massachusetts . 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 released 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 four times this season, including back-to-back nods in the first two weeks of play. Most recently,
Samantha DeFreese earned her first weekly honor after she recorded her fourth-career double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds to help the squad to a home victory over W&M. Prior to that,
Tiffany Montagne earned her first conference award after leading the Huskies over a 1-1 week against Marist and Massachusetts , 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.
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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