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PUERTO AVENTURAS, Mexico – Pitted against the nationally ranked Stanford Cardinal (No. 11/11) during the opening game of the women's Cancun Challenge, the Northeastern women's basketball team performed well despite coming up on the short side of Thursday's 74-45 result at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.
 
Zoe Zwerling's first-minute layup put the Huskies in front first at 2-0 and paved the way to the sophomore's 11-point morning – the third double-digit scoring game of her career. Zwerling shot five-of-nine from the floor, sinking four of her five attempts from within the 3-point line.
 
Francesca Sally flirted with her third double-double of the season, finishing just shy in points and rebounds with nine and eight, respectively. Jess Genco equaled Sally's scoring total, tracked down three boards, and dished out two assists, despite undergoing a one-of-eight shooting day from downtown. Claudia Ortiz aided the NU cause with four points and six rebounds as well.
 
Northeastern (2-3) kept Stanford (4-1) at bay for the better portion of three quarters, limiting the Cardinal to no more than a 10-point lead during the first quarter. Loren Lassiter's made free throw during the Huskies' final possession of the second quarter tightened the halftime score to 34-20, while NU would later assemble an 11-3 run during the third stanza that reduced Stanford's lead to 45-37 with 2:11 on the clock.
 
Erica McCall led the Cardinal with 27 points, hitting 11 of her 14 attempts from the field. Karlie Samuelson charted 18 points off six makes from behind the arc, draining two transition 3-pointers during the final minute of the third quarter to improve Stanford's advantage at 56-38.
 
Every member of Northeastern's roster made their way onto the court on Thursday, including Jasmine Braswell, who made her NU debut during the fourth quarter. In all, the Huskies split 13 bench points across five scorers.
 
QUARTER RECAPS
 
• First Quarter: Zoe Zwerling's layup and Alanna Smith's two free throws stood as the only scoring for either team during the first four minutes of the game, before Erica McCall scored from inside to give Stanford the lead at 4-2. Zwerling would connect on another jumper to bring the Huskies within two, but the Cardinal extended its lead on back-to-back 3-point shots by Karlie Samuelson. Francesca Sally responded with a bucket and a 3-point jumper of her own to close the gap to five at 14-9, before Stanford scored four unanswered to open up another 10-point edge.
 
• Second Quarter: Zwerling's hot start continued during the second quarter as she hit a jumper during the opening minute again, lowering the Huskies' deficit to six points, 19-13. Loren Lassiter frequented the paint and made two trips to the line during the period, but steady shooting by the Cardinal helped them create a 29-14 lead with 4:23 remaining in the half. Jess Genco drained her lone 3-pointer of the game at 4:09 and fielded another layup with 2:51 to go, helping Northeastern remain within 14 points at the break.
 
• Third Quarter: Trailing Stanford by 16 points, 42-26, with 6:50 displaying, Sally sparked an 11-3 run for the Huskies during the next 4:39 of game time that included a 3-pointer by Zwerling, a skillful layup by Genco, and consecutive baskets by Claudia Ortiz. However, the Cardinal's steady 3-point shooting proved to be too much as they knocked down three long-range shots to open up a 56-38 edge.
 
• Fourth Quarter: Stanford opened the quarter on an 8-0 run, keeping the Huskies off the scoreboard until Te'Erica Eason broke through with a basket at the 6:08 mark. Briana Schnare and Ayanna Dublin added to Northeastern's scoring total during the waning minutes of the game.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will meet Purdue on Friday, Nov. 25, at 1:30 p.m. during the Huskies' second round-robin game in the Mayan Division of the 2016 Cancun Challenge.