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BOSTON – A late-game comeback worth noting in the record books was simply not meant to be on Sunday afternoon at Cabot Center as the Northeastern women's basketball team lost a heartbreaker, 72-71, against Towson during both teams' CAA-opening game.
 
Trailing the Tigers, 67-57, with 2:49 remaining in regulation, the Huskies erased the 10-point deficit by hitting four consecutive 3-pointers within a jaw-dropping 73 seconds of game time. Clutch, long-range shooting by Zoe Zwerling (twice), Kazzidy Stewart, and Jess Genco helped NU score 13 unanswered points to take a 70-67 lead with 49 seconds to go.
 
However, two Towson baskets within the final 30 seconds of action, including the eventual, game-winning 3-pointer by Dominique Johnson with 7.4 ticks remaining, dashed the Huskies' hopes of achieving a miraculous comeback.
 
Five different players scored in double figures for Northeastern (5-7, 0-1 CAA), most notably Francesca Sally, who finished with team highs in points (14) and rebounds (seven). Freshman Gabriella Giacone notched 11 points to go with five rebounds and three assists, while fellow rookie Jess Genco tallied 12 points, six assists, and two rebounds.
 
Sophomore shooting guard Claudia Ortiz netted a career best, four 3-pointers, en route to 12 points and five rebounds. The Carolina, Puerto Rico, native matched her previous high, three 3-pointers, during the very first quarter, and upped her personal best to four before halftime.
 
Co-captain Kazzidy Stewart contributed two 3-pointers to the Huskies' total count of 10 as Northeastern reached the two-digit mark in the category for the second time in three games. Stewart's two steals rounded out a well-balanced stat sheet for the senior as the two-guard also hauled in six rebounds and dished out five assists.
 
Loren Lassiter jumpstarted the Huskies' late-game comeback try by nailing the second of a two-shot trip to the foul line and showcased her physicality on the glass in the second half, securing five boards. Despite having five different players bring down five or more rebounds apiece, the Huskies were still outrebounded by the Tigers, 42-39.
 
Jordyn Smith led Towson (4-8, 1-0 CAA) with 17 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, converting on eight of her 11 attempts from the field. Johnson's game-winning 3-pointer was the third long-range jumper she hit during the afternoon, while Raine Bankston posted a consistent five rebounds, four points, four assists, and three steals.
 
As anticipated, both the Huskies and Tigers came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. NU began the first quarter shooting 45.0 percent from the floor (nine-of-20), five percentage points behind Towson's even, 50.0-percent clip.
 
Foul trouble began to creep up on NU as the second quarter progressed. Sally and Lassiter each picked up their third personal fouls before heading into the locker room, while Northeastern's eight total fouls awarded the Tigers 12 free-throw attempts, of which they only converted six. NU led by as much as nine points during the second quarter, but Towson ended the half on an 8-0 run to close the gap to 38-37.
 
Strong interior passing by Genco and Giacone helped NU hold a six-point edge as late as nine minutes into the third quarter (52-46), but the Huskies were unable to keep the lead as the Tigers took a 54-53 lead with 32 seconds remaining, their first lead since 17-15.
 
Sally scored Northeastern's only two baskets during the first seven minutes of the fourth quarter, before the Huskies' stretch of hot-shooting ended in defeat. Genco hit the first of two free throws at the line, but Towson rebounded her miss on the second and called timeout with 15.6 seconds left. Johnson proceeded to hit the game-winner from the right side of the arc with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation.
 
Northeastern will travel to Drexel on Friday, Jan. 8, for a 7 p.m. conference game against the Dragons.
 
STATS OF THE GAME
-Five different Northeastern players scored in double figures: Francesca Sally (14 points), Jess Genco (12), Claudia Ortiz (12), Gabriella Giacone (11), and Kazzidy Stewart (10).
-NU has successfully knocked down ten 3-pointers during two of its last three games (Dec. 21 vs. Canisius).
-Three of the last seven meetings between Northeastern and Towson have now been decided within one possession.
-NU was outrebounded by its opponent for just the fourth time in 12 games.
-Towson improved its winning streak against Northeastern to six straight games.
-The Huskies' 38.5 3-point field-goal percentage is the highest the team has achieved during the 2015-16 season.