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BOSTON – Looking to extend its winning streak to five on Sunday afternoon, the Northeastern women's basketball team came up short of its goal as the Huskies were handed a 63-33 defeat by Drexel at Cabot Center.
 
Francesca Sally double-doubled (11 points, 10 rebounds) to pace Northeastern (6-9, 2-1 CAA), which dropped its first game since Dec. 18. Claudia Ortiz and Gabby Giacone each trickled in six points apiece during the afternoon, with Ortiz equaling Sally for the team rebounding lead (10).
 
Sophomore point guard Jess Genco, an everyday staple in the Huskies' offensive package, came away with just her second scoreless outing during 46 career games at Northeastern.
 
As a team, NU endured one of its weaker shooting displays of the 2016-17 season, funneling in only 12 of its 56 attempts from the field (21.4 percent). In contrast, Drexel (11-3, 2-1 CAA) nearly doubled up the Huskies with 23 made field goals on 53 tries, including a warmer 11-of-24 clip from downtown.
 
Jessica Pellechio hit six of her seven shots from behind the arc en route to posting a team high, 20 points, for the Dragons. Drexel's Meghan Creighton followed Pellechio's total with 16 points courtesy of four 3-point baskets, while Sarah Curran tallied 11 points, four rebounds, six assists, and four steals.
 
Despite the difference in the final score, both teams offered little separation during the back-and-forth opening quarter, in which each side successfully scored on the game's first five possessions. After Curran and Giacone had traded layups in the paint, Todd answered Pellechio's 3-pointer with one of her own, before Pellechio caught fire again from long range. When the dust had settled, Drexel held a slim, 8-5 advantage less than two minutes into game.
 
Trailing the Dragons by five during the final minute of the first, Taggart nailed a huge 3-pointer from the right wing to pull NU within one possession at 16-14 heading into the second quarter.
 
There, the Huskies went cold as Northeastern would go just shy of eight minutes without a point while Drexel trudged along to a 25-14 lead. Giacone's layup at the 2:04 mark stood as the only scoring for NU during the second quarter as the Dragons took a 32-16 margin into halftime.
 
While the Huskies' offensive woes carried into the second half, so did Drexel's sharp shooting as the Dragons gained their first 20-point lead on Creighton's 3-pointer at the 7:17 mark of the third quarter. Northeastern would make a late run at Drexel heading into the fourth quarter, but the Dragons' steady stream of 3-pointers during the final quarter ultimately sealed the Huskies' fate.
 
UP NEXT
 
Conference play continues for the Huskies next weekend as Northeastern will pay visits to William & Mary and James Madison. NU will tip off against the Tribe at 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13, while the Huskies will round out their stay in the state of Virginia at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 15, against the Dukes.