Game-day Information: Game 21 at College of Charleston
When	Friday, Feb. 5  |  6:30 p.m.
Where	Charleston, S.C.  |  TD Arena  |  Directions
Broadcast and stats	Stats  |  Video
Notes	Northeastern (PDF)
Media Guide	2015-16 Northeastern Women's Basketball Media Guide
Social media	Twitter: @GoNUwbasketball Facebook: GoNUwbasketball Instagram: GoNUwbasketball Use #GoNU

BOSTON – Separated by approximately 975 miles, the largest distance between two CAA schools, the Northeastern women's basketball team will make its longest road trip of the conference season on Friday, Feb. 5, when the Huskies take on College of Charleston at 6:30 p.m. NU will play the Cougars twice during the month of February as College of Charleston will return the home-and-home on Feb. 26 at Cabot Center.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON
 
NU and College of Charleston have clashed only as conference opponents during each of the last two seasons, with the Huskies trailing the Cougars, 3-1, all-time. Northeastern's only win against College of Charleston came on Feb. 9, 2014, when the Huskies defeated the Cougars, 61-53.
 
SCOUTING THE COUGARS
 
While Northeastern will take the floor Friday in a three-way tie for eight place in the league at 2-7 (UNCW, Towson), College of Charleston is not too far away as the Cougars are sporting a 3-5 conference record in sole possession of seventh. College of Charleston is ranked in the league's top five in free-throw percentage (69.7) and 3-point percentage (31.4), but the Cougars average just 36.5 percent shooting from the field. Junior Breanna Bolden, the 2014-15 CAA Defensive Player of the Year, is fifth in the conference in points per game (14.2) and 12th in boards per game (7.3).
 
NU FRESHMAN AMONG CAA RANKINGS
 
As the CAA season turns for home, freshmen Jess Genco and Gabby Giacone both find themselves in the running for the league's All-Rookie Team. Genco leads CAA rookies in assists (3.7 per game), made 3-pointers (30), assist-turnover ratio (0.9), and minutes played (38.5 per game), while Giacone leads the conference's freshmen in field-goal percentage (41.6 percent) and free-throw percentage (76.7 percent) and is second in scoring (9.0 points per game) and third in rebounding (5.8 per game).
 
FIRST HALF LOWS 

On Jan. 25, NU limited Drexel to just 17 points in the first half, the second lowest point total the Huskies have allowed during the first two quarters this season. Northeastern held UMES to 15 points during the first half of the two teams' Nov. 19 game, surrendering just two points during the second quarter.
 
MONTAGNE HEATING UP

After making three 3-pointers during her first eight games of the 2015-16 season, senior captain Tiffany Montagne has drained 10 during her last six games. Montagne broke through with a season high, 18 points, on Jan. 29 against Elon, and enters Friday's game with riding a three-game, double-digit scoring streak. The Jackson, New Jersey, native is also four 3-pointers away from 100 career makes, while her 35.4 shooting percentage from downtown ranks fifth best in program history.
 
T.G.I.F.
 
NU has earned four of its wins this season on Fridays, more than any other day of the week. On Fridays this year, the Huskies are 2-1 in true road games, 2-2 in CAA games, and 1-1 in CAA road games. Both of Northeastern's two conference victories on Fridays have come during overtime as well.
 
ON THE ROAD TO 1,000
 
With 16 points on Jan. 31 against William & Mary, Samantha DeFreese now has 972 career points (28 shy of joining Northeastern's 1,000-point club). DeFreese would be the second NU player to eclipse 1,000 in as many seasons, after A'lece Mark (1,081 career points) reached the milestone on Feb. 8, 2015 against Towson.
 
DEFREESE AMONG THE NU SHOOTING GREATS
 
Senior forward Samantha DeFreese enters Friday's game with a career field-goal percentage of 50.6 percent (382-of-755). With nine games remaining in the regular season, the Bergenfield, New Jersey, native looks to join Jewel Tunstull (54.9 percent, 2010-14), and Carla Singleton (51.9 percent, 1983-87) as the only Northeastern players to shoot 50 percent or better during their careers, given at least 450 field-goal attempts.

GENCO ON PACE TO BREAK NU ASSIST RECORDS
 
Freshman point guard Jess Genco has dished out 74 assists during her first 20 career games, averaging 3.7 assists per game during her rookie season. Only three Northeastern players have averaged more assists during their entire careers: Tesha Tinsley (4.0, 1996-00), Jody Burrows (3.9, 2003-07), and Desiree Clagon (3.9, 1981-85). Genco is also just 23 assists shy of tying the NU record for most assists in a season by a freshman (Jody Burrows, 97, 2003-04).
 
BOARDS, BOARDS, BOARDS
 
Northeastern's 56 rebounds on Jan. 8 against Drexel were two less than the program record, 58, which was set on Nov. 30, 2003 against Quinnipiac. They were the most NU had recorded in a single game since the Huskies grabbed 57 in an overtime loss against William & Mary on Feb. 1, 2015.

GIACONE WITH CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES
 
Gabby Giacone came away with two consecutive double-doubles against Elon (Jan. 29) and William & Mary (Jan. 31). The six-foot freshman from Delmar, New York, has achieved four double-doubles during her rookie season, including three during her last six games. Giacone has scored 13 or more points five times this year and set a career high, 11 rebounds, during her last game against the Tribe (Jan. 31).
 
CLEANING UP THE GLASS
 
As of Feb. 4, Northeastern is sixth in the CAA in rebounding offense (38.9 rebounds per game), third in rebounding defense (36.8), and third in rebounding margin (+2.1). James Madison and Hofstra are the only schools in the conference that rank higher than the Huskies in all three statistical categories. However, NU does rank above College of Charleston in all three of those categories.
 
NU CREATING SECOND CHANCES
 
On the offensive glass, Northeastern is ranked third in the CAA with an average of 14.2 boards per game. The Huskies' offensive rebounding percentage of 36.6 is ranked second best in the league.
 
SHARING THE WEALTH
 
Since Dec. 4 against Maine, the Huskies have seen eight different leading scorers during 14 games, with Samantha DeFreese leading the team five times during the stretch. This season, Northeastern has also seen nine different players lead the team in scoring at least once, including all four freshmen.
 
ORTIZ SHOOTS THE LIGHTS OUT
 
Sophomore shooting guard Claudia Ortiz celebrated a career day on Jan. 10 against Delaware, setting new career highs in points (27), field goals made (10), 3-point field goals made (five), and field-goal percentage (.714). Although the Carolina, Puerto Rico native was kept scoreless during the first quarter against the Blue Hens, she went on to score six points during the second, 12 points during the third, and nine points during the fourth on a combined 10-of-14 shooting. Ortiz's previous scoring high was 19 points against Siena on Nov. 15, 2015.
 
CLEAN & TIDY DEFENSE
 
Northeastern limited Drexel to six free-throw attempts on Jan. 25. During the 2015-16 season, the Huskies have held three opponents (in four games) to under 10 free-throw attempts in a game: UMES (eight), Drexel (six and eight), and Maine (zero).

DRAININ' THE MONEY BALL 

NU successfully knocked down ten 3-pointers during two of its last four games. Seven different Northeastern players made 3-pointers against Canisius on Dec. 21 as the Huskies shot 37.0 percent from behind the arc (10-of-27). On Jan. 3, NU made ten 3-pointers again during its CAA-opening game against Towson, shooting a season best, 38.5 percent, from long range. Claudia Ortiz also drilled a career high, four 3-pointers, that day against the Tigers.
 
GENCO LEADS NCAA ROOKIES IN MINUTES
 
As of Feb. 4, freshman Jess Genco leads all Division I freshmen in minutes per game with an average court time of 38.5 minutes per game. Genco is also ranked third in the nation in the same category among all Division I student-athletes, trailing only Hampton's Malia Tate-DeFreitas (38.9 minutes per game), and UNCG's Lucy Mason (38.6).