Box Score | Season Stats | Infographic | Post-game Interview

BOSTON – Overcoming a second-half deficit with a streak of 18 unanswered points, the Northeastern women's basketball team breezed by Maine on Friday afternoon, 56-44, in front of a roaring Cabot Center crowd of more than 1,000 Boston Public Schools students.
 
Senior forward Samantha DeFreese followed her career-high, 29-point performance on Wednesday with a 25-point effort on Friday, finding the back of the net 11 times on 14 attempts. During her last two games, DeFreese has shot 82.1 percent from the field on 23-of-28 shooting and knocked down five of her six foul shots.
 
Freshman point guard Jess Genco sank three 3-pointers against Maine (6-4), including a halftime buzzer-beater that brought Northeastern (5-2) to within one possession at the break, 23-20. Sophomore Claudia Ortiz earned her lone assist of the afternoon on Genco's 3-pointer as time expired and ended the game with four points and two rebounds. Genco closed out the game with 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
 
Francesca Sally dominated the Black Bears in the low post, landing three of her five field-goal attempts while tallying six points and four boards. Sally and teammate Gabriella Giacone cleaned up the glass for the Huskies, who outrebounded Maine, 34-20.
 
Te'Erica Eason played 20 minutes off the bench for Northeastern and ended one point shy of tying her season high of eight points. Eason did convert two of her three free-throw attempts, helping NU shoot a collective 72.7 percent (eight-of-11) from the charity stripe.
 
The Black Bears' Sigi Koizar appeared to be unstoppable during the opening quarter as the junior guard scored each of Maine's first 12 points of the game. Koizar finished with 16 points to lead the Black Bears, who also saw production from Bella Swan (10 points, six rebounds), and Mikaela Gustafsson (five points, four rebounds, four assists).
 
After a first-possession basket by DeFreese gave NU an early, 2-0 lead, Koizar took control of the game by hitting her first four shots of the day, including a fast-break layup that caused NU to call timeout trailing, 10-4. Eason snapped the Huskies' scoreless drought at just more than four minutes with her first 3-pointer of the game, bringing NU within single digits at 14-7.
 
Having been sent to the line for three shots, Genco managed to sink two during Northeastern's first possession of the second quarter, keeping the Huskies within three points once again. However, Maine ignited its offense as the period continued and orchestrated a 9-0 run that put the Black Bears ahead, 23-11.
 
Increasing its defensive intensity, Northeastern held the Black Bears scoreless for the remaining duration of the second quarter, while Genco and Giacone combined to hit three 3-pointers as the Huskies went into the locker room down by just three, 23-20.
 
After totaling just four points during the first half, DeFreese went on a tear during the third quarter, scoring 10 points. Ortiz opened the Huskies' account with a 3-pointer that kept NU close at 26-23, and Northeastern flipped a 31-30 deficit by rattling off 13 unanswered to build a 12-point advantage at 43-31.
 
Having at one time scored nine straight points for NU, DeFreese rolled to an 11-point fourth quarter as the Huskies led by double digits the rest of the way en route to their fifth victory of 2015-16.
 
Northeastern will host Quinnipiac on Wednesday, Dec. 9, at 7 p.m. as the Huskies' six-game home stand continues.
 
STATS OF THE GAME
-Northeastern has won two consecutive games, both against America East programs. The Huskies are 3-2 against America East teams under head coach Kelly Cole's mentorship.
-NU is 5-0 this season when leading after three quarters.
-The Huskies have started 2-0 at home for the second consecutive year and third time in the last four seasons.
-Samantha DeFreese has reached the 25-point threshold in back-to-back games, having scored a career high, 29 points, against New Hampshire on Dec. 2 and 25 points on Friday against Maine.
-Northeastern has won four of its five games this season by 10 points or more, including both of its home victories against UMES (Nov. 19) and Maine (Dec. 4).
-With eight boards on Friday, Jess Genco has now led the Huskies in rebounds for the second time this year.
-Northeastern outscored Maine by a combined 34-17 during the second and third quarters. The Huskies' defense also held the Black Bears without a field goal for 7:25 of game time spanning the third and fourth quarters.