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BOSTON – After building a 53-48 lead with 1:54 remaining in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's game at Cabot Center, the Northeastern women's basketball team ran into a string of good fortunes by New Hampshire, including a game-tying, 3-point buzzer-beater by Brittni Lai, as the Huskies were ultimately upended by the Wildcats, 66-63, in overtime.
 
NU witnessed a steady stream of scoring from senior center Francesca Sally, who raised her season high to 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Sally's two 3-point makes and 14 points before the half helped Northeastern (2-6) race out a nine-point halftime lead – an advantage the Huskies improved to as high as 12 points during the early moments of the third quarter.
 
Having achieved four double-doubles during her freshman season, Gabby Giacone sported the first of her sophomore campaign on Thursday, finishing with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The six-foot native of Delmar, New York, brought down five of her team's 16 offensive boards, a mark that tied the Huskies' season high from Nov. 11.
 
Jess Genco came off the court for only a minute of the two teams' 45-minute contest, tallying eight points, six assists, and five rebounds. Claudia Ortiz was the third NU player to reach double-figures, ending the night with 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
 
Carlie Pogue paced New Hampshire (5-2) with her 26-point, 13-rebound outing, while Brittni Lai posted 19 points and hit three 3-pointers for the Wildcats, none bigger than her stand-up jumper at the end of regulation that knotted the game at 56-56. Kat Fogarty also contributed 12 points, assisting on four baskets and blocking two shots.
 
QUARTER RECAPS
 
• First quarter: Northeastern came out blazing during the first quarter in all aspects of its game. Zoe Zwerling quarterbacked a full-court read to Francesca Sally that had the Huskies out and running early, before Sally stepped back and knocked down consecutive 3-pointers, giving NU a 10-4 lead at the 5:45 mark. Exceptional passing and court vision was the theme of the Huskies' first quarter; Sally split a pair of defenders at the right elbow and set up Gabby Giacone for two with a nifty bounce pass, while Zwerling ran along the baseline before kicking out to Shannon Todd for an open 3-pointer. In all, Northeastern assisted on six of its seven field goals and shot 41.2 percent, building an 18-12 edge.
 
• Second quarter: Sally reached double-figures for the 11th time in her last 13 games on her layup with 6:26 left in the half that provided NU its second nine-point lead of the game, 27-18. Continuing to read New Hampshire well in transition, Jess Genco lofted a full-court pass to Sally that put the Huskies ahead, 29-21, with under four minutes to play. Northeastern's nine-point halftime lead mimicked its nine-point advantage in points off turnovers, which the Huskies proudly created six.
 
• Third quarter: Giacone's five points to begin the second half helped NU ascend to a 37-25 lead, its largest of the night, during the initial two minutes of the third quarter. After Kat Fogarty's jumper reduced the Huskies' edge to 39-32, with 5:45 to go, both teams would endure shooting droughts that exceeded four minutes. Knocking down three-of-four free throws, the Wildcats cut Northeastern's lead to just two on Ashley Storey's layup at the 1:27 mark, but Claudia Ortiz's 3-pointer with nine seconds left helped solidify the Huskies' 42-37 lead going into the fourth.
 
• Fourth quarter: Northeastern's shooting improved slightly from the third to the fourth quarter, but the Huskies' five-of-12 mark came at an inopportune time. Although New Hampshire tied the game at 42-42 during the first minute of the quarter, Sally completed a three-point play at the line that gave NU the lead until Brittni Lai's buzzer-beater. With New Hampshire inbounding down, 55-53, with 10.1 seconds left, Genco stole the inbound pass and was fouled, but missed her second free throw that would have given the Huskies a two-possession lead. UNH capitalized during the final 6.2 seconds as Lai hit her 3-point jumper from the right wing to tie the game.
 
• Overtime: New Hampshire danced out to a 60-56 lead courtesy of four unanswered points, although Northeaster would narrow the game as close as one on Ortiz's 3-pointer with 2:46 to go.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will pay a visit to Maine on Wednesday, Dec. 7, for a midweek, non-conference showdown against the Black Bears. The game will be the second of a men's and women's doubleheader that night at the Cross Insurance Center, with tipoff of the first game scheduled for 5:30 p.m.