Box Score Season Stats | Infographic

ELON, N.C. – With four players reaching double figures for the second straight game, the Northeastern women's basketball team ran past Elon, 67-61, on Sunday afternoon, claiming its third consecutive road victory in the process.
 
Freshmen Gabby Giacone (15 points), Jess Genco (13), and Zoe Zwerling (13) led the way for NU, combining for more than 60 percent of the Huskies' offense. Giacone added eight rebounds and made seven free-throw attempts, while Genco rounded out her stat line with seven assists, three steals, and three 3-pointers during 40 minutes of work. Zwerling shot a perfect three-of-three from downtown, setting a new career best with three long-distance makes.
 
Samantha DeFreese powered home another double-double, recording 11 points, 12 boards, a block, and a steal. Junior Francesca Sally posted significant numbers as well, finishing with eight points, six assists. Sally's lone block of the game came with NU leading, 63-61, with seven seconds to go, while her recovery and two ensuing free throws put the Huskies up by two possessions.
 
Northeastern (10-14, 5-8 CAA) dominated the Phoenix on the glass. The Huskies brought down 12 offensive rebounds and 41 boards overall, leading Elon (15-9, 8-5 CAA) by three and 11, respectively in those categories.
 
Jenifer Rhodes paced the Phoenix with 14 points, seven rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Essence Baucom joined Rhodes in double figures, tallying 12 points, six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
 
Genco delivered two 3-pointers for the Huskies in the first quarter, but five NU turnovers provided the Phoenix with six additional field-goal attempts. Elon jumped out to as large as an eight-point lead in the second quarter, 26-18, with seven minutes to play, but the Huskies surged, charging back to a one-point lead courtesy of a 9-0 run.
 
Zwerling connected on two field goals during the third quarter, helping Northeastern outscore the Phoenix, 22-16, during the period. Her 3-pointer with 49 seconds to go in the quarter capped off a back-and-forth sequence that left the Huskies in front, 47-46. Giacone proceeded to tip-in a layup at the buzzer, sending NU to the fourth with a three-point edge.
 
Three minutes into the fourth, Zwerling and Montagne hit back-to-back 3-pointers, awarding Northeastern a 57-53 advantage. Shay Burnett's 3-pointer with 4:24 to go tied the game at 57-57, but Genco pulled the trigger from downtown again, sending NU back up by three, 60-57. Sally's block and pair of free-throw makes gave Northeastern a four-point lead during the final minute, while Genco's steal with four seconds to go sealed the victory for the Huskies.
 
Northeastern will host Delaware at Cabot Center on Friday, Feb. 19, at 7 p.m. The Huskies will be honoring their Play 4Kay game that evening.
 
STATS OF THE GAME
 
- Zoe Zwerling scored a career high, 13 points, on Sunday. Her previous high was 11 points, which we set on Nov. 28, 2015 against Fresno State.
- Samantha DeFreese double-doubled for the fourth consecutive game. She now has 18 career double-doubles and has scored at least 10 points during each of her last seven games.
- Northeastern improved to 7-4 in true road games (7-6 in games played away from Cabot Center).
- The Huskies celebrated their first victory against Elon in program history. NU had lost the previous three series meetings, all taking place during the last two seasons.
- Northeastern's six-point victory against Elon is the largest margin of victory by either team in the all-time series.
- Jess Genco tied her career high of seven assists (set on Dec. 9, 2015 against Quinnipiac).
- NU overcame a halftime deficit to win for the seventh time this season (trailed by three, 30-27, at the half on Sunday).
- Northeastern's 46.3 field goal percentage (25-of-54) is the third highest the Huskies have achieved this season.
- NU improved to 9-4 this year when outrebounding its opponent (sported a +11 rebounding average against Elon).
 
QUOTES
 
Northeastern head coach Kelly Cole on the Huskies winning their third straight road game…
 
"It feels good to go anywhere on the road and get a win. [Elon is] a very well-coached team and they are very fun to play. It is always going to be a good game [against them]. You know we can do something, they counter, or they can do something and we counter. I think it could be a great rivalry. It is fantastic to be able to come down here and get a win."
 
Cole on Northeastern's ability to be the team that makes stops at the end of a game…
 
"It is a huge step for us, and we have had a couple of games like these this year. We beat Drexel, at Drexel, on a last-second play. We made a late shot against William & Mary last month. Siena was a close game this year, and I think last year we had about eight games that came down to one of two points. I think we finally have some good experience, and I think we have to believe in that. When we are in this position, it is anybody's game, and let's make it ours."
 
Cole on the Huskies' success on the offensive glass…
 
"You know I wish I could say that was just today against Elon, but that is something that we have really focused on being a strength of ours all year long. [Elon] is a team that has great inside presence, so it was a key for us to keep them off the boards. When they had come to [Boston], they beat us on the boards, so coming down here, that was a huge key for us to keep them off the boards and limit their second-chance points. We did our job of getting to the glass. It was one of our top priorities, and it really worked in our favor.
 
Cole on Northeastern's team identity after picking up road wins at UNCW and Elon…
 
"I think we are really starting to come together as a team. I think you can see a demeanor change on the floor. I think you can see a demeanor change late in games when we are like, 'Hey, listen. This one is not slipping out of our hands. We are going to get it.' I think that we can see it on the [offensive] boards. When it comes down to the clutch, we have been in these situation. We finally have our players believing that, 'The game is up in the air, it is going to be ours.'"