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BOSTON – Even with the support of freshman Jess Genco's first career double-double, the Northeastern women's basketball team could not work itself past Hofstra on Wednesday night as the Huskies lost the regular-season finale, 71-64, to the Pride at Cabot Center.
 
A force to be reckoned with all evening, Genco set a new career high with 12 assists, tying Desiree Clagon for the second most in a single game in NU history, almost exactly 21 years to the day (March 1, 1995). Genco led all Northeastern scorers with 17 points, knocking down five 3-pointers.
 
Samantha DeFreese paced the Huskies' seniors with 14 points, four rebounds and two steals, but not before fellow senior Kazzidy Stewart had stolen the show in the first quarter. Stewart made three of her first five shots from the field, scoring nine points and helping NU claim a 15-6 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. Senior Tiffany Montagne also contributed to the Huskies' final tally, hitting her 98th career 3-pointer during the second quarter.
 
With Wednesday's defeat, Northeastern (14-15, 9-9 CAA) solidified its position as the No. 6 seed in the upcoming CAA tournament, to be held from March 9 to March 12 at The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Having clinched a spot in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, March 10, the Huskies will be slated for a rematch against No. 3 Hofstra (22-7, 13-5 CAA) at 7:30 p.m.
 
Junior Francesca Sally joined Genco and DeFreese in double-figures on Wednesday, powering her way to 15 points and six rebounds.
 
For the first time in seven games, Northeastern failed to reach a team shooting percentage of 40 percent, although the Huskies were not far off at 39.1. NU ended the night even with the Pride in rebounding (35-35), but was outhustled in the paint, 34-26.
 
Hofstra witnessed four players score 10 points or more, most notably Jakelle King-Gilchrist, who led the team with 18 points. Krystal Luciano equalled Genco's five-of-12 shooting performance from downtown, while Anjie White also registered 15 points, coming a rebound shy of a double-double herself.
 
After falling behind, 4-0, a minute into the game, Northeastern tightened up defensively, keeping Hofstra scoreless the rest of the quarter with the exception to two late free throws. The Huskies' 15-2 run propelled them into the second, where DeFreese's layup with 6:34 remaining put NU up by 16 at 24-8.
 
Clutch 3-point shooting by the Pride allowed Hofstra to erase the deficit quickly. The Pride soon scored on five consecutive possessions, nailing four 3-pointers and slicing the Huskies' lead to four at 26-22. Northeastern's lead shrank to as low as one as the half came to a close.
 
Following a back-and-forth opening to the second half, Luciano's 3-pointer at 5:49 gave Hofstra its first lead since 4-3 in the first. Sally answered right back with a three of her own, bringing NU back in front at 41-39. After tie scores at 41-41, 43-43, 45-45, and 47-47, the Pride distanced themselves by three points courtesy of a buzzer-beating layup by Sandra Dongmo.
 
Genco kicked off the fourth quarter scoring for Northeastern with her third 3-pointer of the game, leveling the contest at 50-50. Trailing by four shortly after, Stewart fed a pass to Sally that tied the game for a sixth time at 56-56. From there, Hofstra assembled a 6-0 run that separated the two teams for the final time.