Game-day Information: Game No. 19 vs. Hofstra
When	Thursday, Jan. 29 • 7 p.m.
Where	Boston, Mass. • Cabot Center
Broadcast and stats	Live Stats • Live Stream
Game Notes	Northeastern (PDF)
Social media	@GoNUwbasketball Facebook.com/GoNUwbasketball @GoNUwbasketball (Instagram) The Husky Huddle    To join the conversation, use #GoNU, #DeserveVictory, or #CAAHoops

BOSTON -- The Northeastern Huskies and Hofstra pride will renew their rivalry on Thursday, Jan. 29 when the Huskies welcome the Pride to Cabot Center for a 7 p.m. showdown. Northeastern enters the matchup following an exciting game against Elon, while Hofstra arrives on Huntington Avenue after dropping a contest to William & Mary.
 
Storylines
• The Huskies and Pride have already met once this season with Hofstra escaping with an 85-83 overtime win. Samantha DeFreese and Amencie Mercier both recorded a double-double in the setback.
 
• Northeastern has put together two consecutive strong performances against Towson and Elon. The Huskies shot 37 percent from the floor in a 65-61 loss to the Tigers and 48 percent in an overtime setback to the Phoenix.
 
• Kelly Cole and her team had three players finish their nights in double-figures against the Phoenix. Samantha DeFreese had 26 points, a career high, Kazzidy Stewart had 19 points, a season high, and Amencie Mercier had 13 points and seven rebounds.
 
• The team has now played in two overtime contests this season, just barely falling short both times. 
 
• Samantha DeFreese continued her solid stretch of play, adding 26 points to her impressive seven-game stretch. She now has 122 points since the team's game against Hofstra on Jan. 6.
 
• NU is now home for its next two matchups. The team will welcome William & Mary to Cabot Center on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 1, for a 2 p.m. showdown. It's then back on the road to Delaware for the Huskies.
 
All-time vs. Hofstra
The Huskies and Pride have met a recorded 35 times over the course of their respective histories; their first meeting came during the 1993-94 season. Northeastern holds the all-time advantage, 18-17, but has fallen short in four of the last five to its conference foe. The two programs have both been members of the NAC, America East, and now the Colonial Athletic Association. Despite being in the same conference since the 1994-95 season, the Huskies and Pride have only met once in postseason action.
 
DeFreese's monster game
Junior forward Samantha DeFreese scored a career-high 26 points in the team's game against Elon. She scored 13 points in 14 minutes to help the Huskies battle back from 18 down to force an overtime period.
 
Home sweet home
The Huskies have now played 11 of their last 15 contests on the road. The team has been home for a single three-game stretch. They are now home for their next two as they welcome Hofstra and William & Mary.
 
Money Mercier
Senior captain Amencie Mercier had a fantastic outing against the Elon Phoenix. The guard finished with 13 points – one of three Huskies in double-figures – and seven assists. Her 10 first-half points helped keep the Huskies within striking range of the Phoenix.
 
A comeback story
The Huskies found themselves down by 18 points with 14 minutes to go in Sunday's game against Elon. Behind DeFreese – who scored 13 points in 14 minutes, the Huskies were able to claw their way back into the game an force an overtime period.
 
Post 'em up
Northeastern boasted 30 points in the paint in its last game. The team relied on the inside presence of Samantha DeFreese – 26 total points – and Francesca Sally – eight total points – for a majority of their scoring close to the basket.
 
Stewart's hot shooting
Kazzidy Stewart posted a season-high mark of 19 points against Elon. She connected on six of her 14 shots, including three-for-five from downtown. Stewart scored the game-tying 3-pointer with three seconds left to push it into overtime.
 
The reinforcements
The Huskies' bench scored 28 points, a season high, against Elon. The team relied on Samantha DeFreese for offense off the bench. They outscored the Phoenix by four, 28-24.
 
Downtown Mosey
Freshman forward Maureen Taggart scored nine points in NU's game against Elon. The Wallingford, Vermont, native connected on three shots from downtown in just her second start of the season.
 
Immediate impact
Freshmen Loren Lassiter and Maureen Taggart both made their first start of the 2014-15 season in Thursday's game against the Towson Tigers. The two combined for nine points, 10 rebounds, and four assists. Taggart connected on two shots from downtown.
 
Stewart does it again
Kazzidy Stewart scored a season-high 16 points last Thursday. It is the third time this season she has scored 16 points. She added five rebounds in the game.
 
Rebounds galore
The Huskies corralled 45 rebounds in their game on Thursday, just five short of a season-high of 50. Francesca Sally had the team-high in the game, accounting for 13 boards. All in all, eight members of the team collected at least one rebound.
 
Stacking up in the CAA
The Northeastern Huskies trending towards the top of the pack in the CAA in several statistical categories. Northeastern's offense is currently the sixth ranked offense in the league, posting a ppg average of 61.8. NU is also averaging 6.3 3-pointers made per contest, second best in the CAA, to go along with the second best free throw percentage at .705.
 
Individually in the CAA
Samantha DeFreese is ranked sixth in the conference in scoring, posting a mark of 13.7 points per contest. Her field goal percentage of .508 is also ranked second. In rebounding, Francesca Sally's 7.5 per game are sixth best in the CAA, while DeFreese comes in ninth with 6.8 rpg.
 
Lassiter's career day
Loren Lassiter, in her first career start, grabbed a career-high eight rebounds. She added a tremendous presence inside and logged a career-high 26 minutes. The freshman also chipped in three points against the Tigers.
 
Mercier shines vs. Hofstra
Amencie Mercier notched her first double-double of the season in the team's setback to Hofstra. The senior captain scored 16 points, a season high, and collected 10 assists, another season high.
 
Huskies all-time vs. the CAA
The Huskies, who joined the CAA in 2005, are looking to improve on their overall CAA record. NU's conference mark over the past 10 seasons is 59-122. The team has yet to claim a CAA championship, but has improved in postseason play during the previous few seasons.
 
Last time out
 In what was their second consecutive strong performance, the Northeastern Huskies dropped a tough game in overtime to the Elon Phoenix, 80-77, on Sunday, Jan. 25.
 
Kelly Cole and her team showcased their mental toughness and grittiness by battling back from down 18 points in the second half to force an overtime period. Samantha DeFreese finished her night with a career-high 26 points to go along with nine rebounds. The Bergenfield, New Jersey, native scored 13 points in the final 14 minutes to help the Huskies push the game into extra time. Kazzidy Stewart connected on a game-tying 3-pointer with 64 seconds remaining in the action. Tough defense from Cole's team resulted in contested looks for the Phoenix to close out the second stanza.
 
In the overtime period, Elon (12-7, 5-3) held a four-point lead, 77-73, with 98 seconds to go. Francesca Sally converted on a layup to bring Northeastern within two. On the other end of the court, Elon's Zora Stephenson went one-for-two after an intentional foul, giving the Huskies the ball back down by three. Stewart hit a layup with three seconds left to bring it within one, but two free throws by the Phoenix secured the overtime victory.  The game was tied nine times, and featured five lead changes.
 
Northeastern (4-14, 1-7) had three players finish in double figures in DeFreese with 26, Stewart with 19 and Amencie Mercier with 13. Stewart's 19 points are a new season-high.  Maureen Taggart, in her second start of the season, added nine points of her own, a new career high, while Francesca Sally chipped in eight points in the setback. It was the Huskies' second straight game with a strong performance. The team finished shooting 48 percent from the floor, connecting on 29 of its 60 shots, including eight-of-20 from beyond the arc. The Huskies were outrebounded by seven, 41-34, but the team's bench outscored Elon by four, 28-24.
 
The road ahead
The Huskies will now host the Tribe of William & Mary on Sunday, Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. That will mark the first meeting between the Northeastern and William & Mary this season. Two days later, the team is in Newark, Delaware, to square off against the Blue Hens of Delaware. Northeastern was defeated by Delaware in their first game earlier this month.­

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