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

BOSTON – Entertaining a packed Cabot Center crowd of more than 1,000 students from Boston Public Schools, the Northeastern women's basketball team had trouble slowing a talented Saint Mary's squad on Friday as the Huskies lost their first game of the season, 77-53, against the Gaels.
 
Senior co-captain Francesca Sally dominated the low post and led all scorers with 22 points, finishing the game two points shy of her career high, 24, set during the 2014-15 season. The six-foot-two forward from Denver, Colorado, went 10-for-16 from the floor and hit a clutch, 3-point jumper during the second quarter that gave its largest lead of the game.
 
Sophomores Jess Genco and Gabby Giacone followed Sally by each sporting nine points apiece, while Te'Erica Eason led the remaining five NU scorers with four points. Genco posted the most well-rounded stat line among the Huskies, charting six assists, four rebounds, three steals, and only one turnover during 36 minutes of action.
 
Northeastern (2-1) observed its single-game shooting percentage dip below 40 percent for the first time during the young, 2016-17 season on Friday. The Huskies came away with points on only 22 of their 64 field goal attempts (33 percent), despite holding a +7 advantage in turnovers and holding a slim margin against Saint Mary's (1-2) in second-chance points, 10-9.
 
Stella Beck paced the Gaels with 18 points, while Devyn Galland and Megan McKay each chipped in 14 points on their own. In total, six different Saint Mary's players combined to produce the team's 77 points on 54 percent shooting (29-of-54). The Gaels also outrebounded the Huskies, 45-28, and commanded a 40-24 advantage in points in the paint.
 
QUARTER RECAPS
 
• First Quarter: Francesca Sally broke through early for Northeastern, scoring on each of her first four field goal attempts and racking up eight points. Zoe Zwerling connected on a 3-pointer to give the Huskies a 9-5 lead during the opening three minutes, but Saint Mary's would claw its way back, tying the game at 13-13 on a jumper by Carly Turner. Trailing by three with 61 seconds left in the quarter, Jess Genco slid NU within one with 49 ticks to go, while Te'Erica Eason banked home a layup at the five-second mark, awarding the Huskies an 18-17 lead heading into the break.
 
• Second Quarter: Consecutive transition buckets by Eason and Giacone flipped the score back in Northeastern's favor at 22-21, less than a minute before Giacone drained a 3-pointer that put NU ahead, 25-23. Shortly after, Sally drilled her lone 3-pointer in addition to another layup that propelled Northeastern to respective five-point leads at 30-25 and 32-37, the latter occurring with 5:30 left in the half. However, Saint Mary's closed out the quarter on a 17-4 run, stealing the Huskies' thunder while taking a 44-36 lead into the locker room.
 
• Third Quarter: A 9-0 run put together by the Gales to start the second half forced Northeastern into a timeout within the first three minutes of the period. Sally's free throw at the 5:22 mark snapped a streak of 13 straight points by Saint Mary's, but the visitors continued their run, outscoring the Huskies, 17-4, by the end of the quarter.
 
• Fourth Quarter: Picking up her fourth and fifth fouls, Sally's afternoon came to an early end with 3:54 remaining in regulation, but not before powering 22 points and four rebounds on the day. Northeastern reduced Saint Mary's lead to 20 twice at 8:43 and 7:39, but was unable to close the gap any further as the Gaels ultimately prevailed.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will descend on Hamden, Connecticut, this Sunday, Nov. 20, for a 2 p.m. tipoff against Quinnipiac.