Box Score | Season Stats | Infographic

MORAGA, Calif. – Despite being backed by 11-point scoring efforts by Samantha DeFreese and Zoe Zwerling, the Northeastern women's basketball team was unable to come through with a victory during the second day of the 2015 St. Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic as the Huskies were topped by Fresno State, 69-55, on Saturday.
 
DeFreese achieved her 13th career double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, blocking two shots and dishing out four assists during 38 minutes of court time. The NU senior went five-of-six from the foul line, helping the Huskies shoot nine-of-11 from the charity stripe as a team.
 
Zwerling had a break-through afternoon for Northeastern (3-2), making four shots from the field, including two 3-pointers, during a season high, 21 minutes of action. Fellow freshman Jess Genco knocked down three of her eight field-goal attempts, ending the game with eight points, five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
 
Junior center Francesca Sally fought her way to 10 points and six rebounds, powering the Huskies' post game early with six of her 10 points coming during the game's first 12 minutes. Sophomore Maureen Taggart helped spark Northeastern's offense during the first half, draining two 3-pointers en route to a six-point day.
 
Fresno State (2-4) shot 41.7 percent from the field on 25-of-60 shooting and made 23 free-throw attempts, of which the Bulldogs hit 15. Bego Faz Davalos led all scorers with 21 points, and like DeFreese, notched a double-double with 10 rebounds. Moriah Faulk charted 13 points and six rebounds, while Shauqunna Collins posted 12 points, five assists, and two steals.
 
Northeastern was challenged by Fresno State's ability to flood the lane as the Bulldogs racked up 38 points in the paint compared to the Huskies' 18. DeFreese, Sally, and Gabriella Giacone defended the post well, but 15 offensive boards by Fresno State left the Bulldogs with a handful of second-chance opportunities.
 
Sally put Northeastern's first four points of the afternoon up on the scoreboard in the first quarter, pulling down an offensive board in the process. Trailing the Bulldogs, 9-4, Taggart sank a 3-pointer to bring NU within two, but an 11-0 run by Fresno State to close out the period gave the Bulldogs a 13-point edge after one.
 
Taggart's second 3-pointer a minute into the second quarter snapped the Fresno State run at 14 unanswered points, but solid post play by Faz Davalos and Brittany Aikens helped the Bulldogs build a 29-12 lead midway through the period. DeFreese propelled the Huskies' offense late in the quarter, scoring the final eight points of the half to bring Northeastern within 11 points at the break, 36-25.
 
Sally kicked off the Huskies' scoring again in the second half with a strong drive to the hoop and another three by Zwerling had NU down by 11 with 5:52 to play in the third. As the quarter progressed, Faz Davalos proved to be too strong for the Huskies as the Fresno State center shot five-of-seven from the field in the third and tallied 10 points.
 
Northeastern whittled down the Bulldogs' lead to as low as 11 with 6:41 to play in the fourth, but the Huskies were unable to close the gap any further as Fresno State held onto a 69-55 victory.
 
NU will head to New Hampshire on Wednesday, Dec. 2, for a 7 p.m. non-conference matchup. The Wildcats defeated the Huskies by one, 63-62, last season on a last-second buzzer-beater.
 
STATS OF THE GAME
-Samantha DeFreese was named to the 2015 St. Mary's Hilton Concord Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament Team.
-Freshman Zoe Zwerling set a new season high of 11 points against Fresno State. The Palo Alto, California, native made two 3-pointers (two-of-five) and was credited with a steal as well.
-Senior forward Samantha DeFreese registered her 13th career double-double on Saturday (11 points, 13 rebounds) and second in three games. It is the first time in her career that DeFreese has accumulated more rebounds than points in a double-double effort.
-Maureen Taggart and Francesca Sally combined to score each of the Huskies' first 12 points of the game during the first and second quarters.
-Northeastern allowed 20 points in the first quarter, the most the Huskies have allowed during the opening period in five games this season.
-The Huskies converted on nine-of-11 free-throw attempts for the second consecutive game. As a team, NU is shooting 74.6 percent from the foul line this year.
-Fresno State improved its lead in the all-time series against Northeastern to 2-0.
-Northeastern is now 1-5 all-time in games played in the state of California.