Box Score | Season Statistics | Infographic

AMHERST, Mass. – Despite receiving a pair of double-double performances out of Gabby Giacone and Jess Genco, the Northeastern women's basketball team was unable to fend off Houston during the second half on Saturday as the Huskies were handed a 72-64 defeat from the Cougars at the 2017 UMass Thanksgiving Classic.
 
Giacone was one of five double-digit scorers for the Huskies, who witnessed their three-game winning streak come to an end. The NU junior led Northeastern (3-3) in rebounding for the fifth straight game, finishing with 12 points, 12 rebounds, two blocks, and a steal.
 
Genco factored in on 13 of the Huskies' 16 first half field goals, assisting on 10 baskets while also hitting three shots from the floor. By game's end, Genco had matched her career high for assists (12), also contributing 12 points and collecting six rebounds.
 
Claudia Ortiz led Northeastern with 15 points on five-of-nine shooting, while Stella Clark registered 10 points in addition to five assists. Loren Lassiter posted her second career double-digit rebounding game, cleaning the glass to the tune of 10 boards.
 
With the win, Houston (4-2) completed the sweep of its two opponents at the UMass Thanksgiving Classic, having defeated Liberty, 75-68, on Friday. Angela Harris notched 25 points to lead the Cougars, who collectively shot 47.5 percent from the field against the Huskies' 35.9 percent clip. Jasmyne Harris recorded 17 points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Dorian Branch chipped in 10 points, five boards, four assists, and three steals.
 
Saturday's game featured nine tie scores, six of which took place during the first quarter, but only three lead changes. The Huskies carried a nine-point advantage into the second half and led, 44-35, with 6:26 remaining in the third quarter. 
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
Gabby Giacone went toe-to-toe with Houston's Angela Harris during the game's opening minutes as both players accounted for each of their respective team's initial six points. Northeastern forced the Cougars into committing four turnovers during their first four possessions of the game and grabbed an early, 4-0 lead courtesy of Giacone's two buckets in the paint. Giacone then hit her jumper from the right side to give NU a 6-3 cushion, which was erased on Harris' second 3-pointer of the quarter with 6:16 to go.
 
Shannon Todd followed Claudia Ortiz's layup with a 3-pointer from the right wing, putting the Huskies in front, 11-6, near the midway point of the period. Harris demonstrated her distance again by burying her third consecutive 3-pointer to narrow the score to 11-9, prior to both sides trading baskets before the 4:05 media timeout.
 
Houston earned its first lead at 15-13 upon Dorian Branch stealing the ball from Jess Genco en route to completing an easy transition layup. Both teams alternated scoring from within the perimeter during the remainder of the quarter, ending the period deadlocked at 21-21.
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
After a fast-paced, back-and-forth first quarter, Northeastern began to slow down Houston during the second stanza. Genco threaded an interior pass to Giacone to knot the game for the seventh time at 24-24, ushering in a string of 11 straight points for the Huskies. During the run, Genco factored in on each of Northeastern's five field goals that created the Huskies' 33-24 lead with 6:22 to play, scoring five points while racking up three assists. Serithia Hawkins snapped the Cougars' near six-minute drought without a field goal with her jumper taking place just inside of four minutes remaining, but Genco followed with a long 2-point field goal before Ortiz's 3-pointer from the left corner provided Northeastern with its largest lead of the game, 38-26, with 3:02 to play. Houston sandwiched a 3-pointer by Dorian Branch and a jumper by Hawkins around Ortiz's two free throws to trim the Huskies' halftime lead to 40-31.
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
Already with a double-double in hand, Giacone blocked West's shot in the post during Houston's first possession of the half, despite Branch picking up the rebound and finishing within the paint to draw the Cougars within seven points. Northeastern regained a pair of nine-point leads at 42-33 and 44-35 courtesy of Ortiz's steal and transition layup, followed by Todd's two-for-two effort at the foul line. However, Houston would orchestrate a 7-0 run during the next three minutes and change to create a one-possession game – that was before Stella Clark chimed in with a 3-point field goal to put Northeastern ahead, 47-43, with 3:05 remaining. Genco extended the Huskies' edge to 49-43, although the Cougars closed the quarter with six unanswered points, capped by Jasmyne Harris' 3-point field goal during the final seconds.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
Todd broke the game's 49-49 tie with her 3-pointer from the right corner, moments before Clark connected on another 3-point shot herself, giving Northeastern a 55-51 lead two minutes into the quarter. However, Angela Harris did not back down for the Cougars, draining a pair of 3-pointers herself to draw Houston within one point at 55-54 and then tie the game for the ninth time at 59-59 with 6:03 remaining. With the help of four Northeastern turnovers, the Cougars staged a 6-0 run to take a 65-59 lead under the three-minute mark. Genco halved the Huskies' deficit with a clutch 3-point jumper to pull NU within one possession at 65-62, although it would end up being the last field goal Northeastern would score during the rest of the way. Houston ended the game shooting five-of-six from the foul line en route to earning the eight-point victory.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern is off until Friday, Dec. 1, when the Huskies will travel to New Hampshire and Lundholm Gymnasium to square off against the Wildcats at 7 p.m.