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HARRISONBURG, Va. – Despite orchestrating a furious, fourth-quarter charge against third-seeded Drexel, the sixth-seeded Northeastern women's basketball team could not overcome the complete deficit it had faced through three quarters as the Huskies exited the 2017 CAA tournament on Thursday night courtesy of a 68-50, quarterfinal loss against the Dragons.
 
Claudia Ortiz propelled Northeastern's late-game surge, scoring the first seven points of the Huskies' 10-0 scoring run that began the fourth quarter. Shannon Todd capped off the string of 10 unanswered points with her lone 3-pointer of the night, bringing NU to within 15 points of Drexel, 52-37, with 6:35 remaining in regulation.
 
Ortiz posted 19 points to lead all scorers, hitting two of her eight field goals from behind the arc. Senior captain Francesca Sally wrote the final page of her four-year career at Northeastern, charting eight points, eight rebounds, an assist, and a steal during 32 minutes of action. Sophomore point guard Jess Genco logged her eighth straight 40-minute game, totaling nine points while dealing out six dimes.
 
Northeastern (12-19) suffered its second consecutive CAA tournament defeat at the hands of Drexel (21-9), having lost to the Dragons during the 2016 league semifinals.
 
Four Drexel players finished the evening in double-figures, most notably Meghan Creighton, who shot six-of-10 from 3-point range en route to 18 points, five assists, and two steals. Creighton single-handedly accounted for the Dragons' first nine points of the game, draining each of her first three 3-point attempts during the opening three minutes of the game.
 
Sarah Curran's line included 17 points, nine rebounds, a block, and a steal, while Sara Woods and Jessica Pellechio entertained 12- and 10-point outings, respectively.
 
Northeastern matched Drexel's perimeter shooting during the early stages of the first quarter. Ortiz drilled her first 3-point basket at the 8:21 mark to pull the Huskies within one point at 6-5, while Maureen Taggart's 3-pointer two minutes later helped NU break a 9-9 tie. By the game's first media timeout, it was Northeastern that led, 12-11.
 
However, the Dragons soon caught fire, closing the first quarter on an 11-0 run that put Drexel ahead by double digits, 23-12. Sally ended the Huskies' scoring drought with 7:36 remaining in the second quarter, but a steady stream of scoring by the Dragons allowed the No. 3 seed to take a 38-21 lead into halftime.
 
Northeastern's cold spell continued into the third quarter as Drexel limited the Huskies to six points on only three made field goals. Sally's layup with 5:10 to play reduced the Dragons' advantage to 45-25, but Drexel remained comfortably ahead, benefitting from another of Creighton's 3-point jumpers that widened the margin to 23 points.
 
Lowering the deficit to 15 points courtesy of its fourth-quarter blitz, Northeastern proceeded to surrender eight unanswered points back to the Dragons, who took a 20-point margin into the final five minutes of regulation. Genco tied off her sophomore season scoring seven of the Huskies' final 11 points of the game. Overall, Northeastern outscored Drexel, 23-16, during the fourth quarter.