Box Score

BOSTON—Despite chipping away at a 24-point deficit, the Northeastern women's basketball team (8-13, 2-6 CAA) could not hold on for the victory in a 67-62 loss to Towson (10-11, 4-4 CAA) on Tuesday night at Cabot Center.

The game pitted a pair of former college teammates against each other, this time on the sidelines. Head coaches Daynia La-Force and Niki Reid Geckeler were teammates on the 1993 Georgetown Hoyas squad that won the Big East title and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

Samantha DeFreese recorded her third career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Huskies in scoring for the third consecutive game. A'lece Mark returned to the court after missing four games due to a minor injury with 11 points, good for her 12th double-figure contest of the year in just as many appearances. Junior guard Amencie Mercier tallied nine points, while Kazzidy Stewart and Sade Iriah notched eight a piece. Jewel Tunstull and Tiffany Montagne added 12 points, collectively, to round out the scoring column for the Huskies.

"The first half just really wasn't us," said head coach Daynia La-Force. "It was a tale of two halves. If we had played the first half as well as we did in the second, it would have been a totally different ball game."

Tanisha McTiller set the tone for the Tigers, leading all scorers with 33 points along with 12 rebounds. Dominique Johnson, whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer decided the game in the teams' matchup earlier this season, joined McTiller in double-figures with 11 points.

Towson dominated the first half, claiming the first six points of the game and holding the Huskies scoreless through three minutes of play before a 3-pointer from Stewart put the Huskies on the board. The teams exchanged free throws, but a trey from Towson's Ciara Webb triggered a 10-point run to push the Tigers ahead, 20-7.

Tunstull and DeFreese teamed up for consecutive buckets to come within nine before Towson recorded another 10-point surge for a 30-11 advantage. DeFreese interrupted the Tigers' offensive momentum with a 3-pointer, but the Huskies could not string together back-to-back shots. Mark landed one more shot from beyond the arc before NU surrendered five points to close out first half trailing 37-19.

Immediately into the second half, Towson tallied six points for a 24-point cushion and the largest lead of the contest, 43-19. Northeastern picked up momentum with a 7-0 run, capped with Stewart's second trey of the night. The Huskies allowed a Towson layup, but responded with a trio of 3-pointers to close the gap to 12 points, 47-35.

An Iriah layup sparked another run for Northeastern as the squad posted the next five baskets to invade the Tigers' advantage to single-digits and come within three with 5:57 left in regulation, 52-49. The teams swapped buckets over the next three minutes before three intentional fouls extended Towson's lead by 10. Northeastern connected on four of its five final shots, including a 3-pointer from Mark, but it was not enough to stop the Tigers from claiming the game, 67-62.

For the game, the Huskies shot 43 percent (25-58) from the field, 53 percent (8-15) from long range, and 100 percent (4-4) from the free-throw line. The Tigers shot 36 percent (20-55) from the floor, 33 percent (4-12) from beyond the arc, and 68 percent (23-34) from the charity stripe. Towson won the rebounding battle, 41-32.

The Huskies will head south for a pair of road games against James Madison on Friday, Feb. 7, and College of Charleston on Sunday, Feb. 9. Game times are set for 7 p.m., and 2 p.m., respectively.

"We have got to keep building," said La-Force. "The kids are getting better. Everyday we just have to get better...and hopefull it will pay off in the end."

Game Notes
• Samantha DeFreese recorded her third career double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Huskies in scoring for the third consecutive game.
• Sade Iriah recorded a career-best eight points.
• Towson now holds a slight 15-14 advantage in the overall series.
• A'lece Mark notched her 13th consecutive double-figure contest in just as many games. 
• The Huskies drained eight 3-point field goals, good for the 10th consecutive game of five or more.

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