Box Score | Season Stats | Infographic

BOSTON – Playing in front of a Matthews Arena crowd of more than 1,800 fans on Friday night, the Northeastern women's basketball team experienced a 77-51 setback to the nationally ranked, No. 24/22 Michigan State Spartans during the first game of the Northeastern Winter Showdown.
 
Junior Francesca Sally led the way for the Huskies, scoring a season high, 14 points, while racking up three rebounds and two assists. Sally's six made field goals were also a season best on Friday as the NU center also powered home 10 of Northeastern's 25 second-half points.
 
Samantha DeFreese shot an even 50 percent (four-of-eight) from the floor en route to 11 points, two boards, and two assists, but reached the five-foul mark all too soon with 7:21 remaining in the fourth quarter. NU reserves Te'Erica Eason and Tiffany Montagne stepped up for the Huskies with seven and six points, respectively, helping Northeastern (5-4) accumulate 21 bench points, nine fewer than the Spartans' 30.
 
Michigan State (8-2) won its fourth straight game on Friday by dominating the glass and post position. The Spartans won the rebounding margin against the Huskies, 49-30, and led Northeastern in points in the paint, 42-22. Akyah Taylor (17 points), Aerial Powers (16), Tori Jankoska (14), and Branndais Agee (11) each finished in double figures, with Powers cementing a double-double courtesy of 12 rebounds.
 
Senior Kazzidy Stewart and Zoe Zwerling each recorded 3-pointers during Friday's game. Claudia Ortiz and Jess Genco were both kept without a field goal by Michigan State's defense, but the two players fought hard to three and two points, respectively, all from the free-throw line. Genco tried to bring the Huskies back into contention with six of her seven field-goal attempts coming from behind the arc, but the freshman point guard came up empty during 33 minutes of action.
 
Trailing the Spartans early, 7-2, DeFreese and Ortiz ignited Northeastern's offense, combining for five straight points to tie the game at 7-7. For the second straight game, Ortiz was fouled while releasing a 3-pointer, but the sophomore guard was only able to convert two of her three free throws. NU closed out the first quarter with five of its 11 points coming from the foul line, while MSU had already amassed 11 rebounds.
 
Michigan State asserted its presence on the glass as the second quarter continued, denying the Huskies opportunities at second-chance buckets. With the help of a 10-2 run to begin the second, MSU built up a 16-point edge against NU, but the Huskies fought back as consecutive 3-pointers by Montagne and Eason brought Northeastern to within 10 at 33-23 with 1:57 left in the half.
 
Although DeFreese and Sally were able to jumpstart the Huskies' pressure in the paint, Michigan State steadied itself to a 20-point edge for the first time with more than five minutes remaining in the third. Eason's layup with less than a minute to go helped end roughly a four-minute scoring drought by NU, as MSU established a 63-37 lead after three.
 
Both DeFreese's and Giacone's nights would end early during the fourth quarter as Northeastern found itself in foul trouble for most of the second half. By game's end, four different NU players would complete the game with at least four fouls.
 
Sally's second-half surge helped give Northeastern some life late in the game as the junior shot four-of-eight during the third and fourth quarters, tipping in 10 points.
 
The Northeastern Winter Showdown will continue on Saturday, Dec. 19, when the Northeastern men's basketball team hosts No. 1/1 Michigan State at Matthews Arena. NU men's ice hockey will also host the Spartans in the weekend finale at 7 p.m. that day.
 
The Huskies will return to Cabot Center and host Canisius on Monday, Dec. 21, at 2 p.m.
 
STATS OF THE GAME
-Northeastern's record against current Big Ten schools dipped down to 3-16 overall. The Huskies are also now 1-10 against active Big Ten member institutions.
-Eleven Northeastern players appeared in Friday's Northeastern Winter Showdown game against No. 24/22 Michigan State.
-Nine NU players recorded at least one rebound during Friday's game, with eight players picking up at least two.
-Northeastern and Michigan State combined to commit 49 total fouls.
-Despite having a +19 rebounding margin, Michigan State managed only nine second-chance points compared to Northeastern's seven.