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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Backed by Jess Genco's 21 points, five assists, and career high, six steals, the Northeastern women's basketball team outfought UNCW, 54-47, on Friday afternoon at Trask Coliseum, posting its fourth true road win of the 2017-18 season and second during CAA action.
 
Genco unloaded four 3-pointers to lead Northeastern (7-7, 2-1 CAA), which shot only 33 percent from the field and 23 percent from downtown. Despite the low shooting percentages, the Huskies' defense forced UNCW (7-7, 0-3 CAA) into committing 25 turnovers at a +12 margin that yielded a 24-9 advantage for NU in points off turnovers. Genco ended the game by scoring her 800th career point at the free throw line during the final minute of regulation.  
 
Stella Clark notched her sixth double-digit scoring game while coming off the bench for the Huskies, chipping in 11 points while also collecting six rebounds. Claudia Ortiz paired nine points with seven rebounds, while Gabby Giacone scored eight points, also pitching in with two rebounds, an assist, and two blocks.
 
Loren Lassiter led Northeastern in rebounding for the sixth time this season, hauling in nine boards.
 
Lacey Suggs double-doubled for UNCW, totaling 14 points and 11 rebounds. Rebekah Banks grabbed 15 rebounds and finished with seven points, while Jenny DeGraaf posted nine points, nine rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
 
With Friday's win, Northeastern has now won eight of the last 11 series meetings between the Huskies and the Seahawks. NU has also won its first two road conference games for the first time since the 1994-95 America East season.
 
FIRST QUARTER
 
Northeastern began the game with baskets on two of its first four possessions, but witnessed its shooting percentage taper off to a mere, 18 percent by the end of the quarter after managing to hit only one of its final 13 field goal attempts. Shannon Todd put NU on the scoreboard first with a jumper from the right elbow, two trips before Gabby Giacone received a pass from Jess Genco on the left block, where she turned easily towards an uncontested layup. Loren Lassiter split a pair of free throws to give Northeastern a 5-3 lead with 7:33 remaining, at which point the Huskies' offense clicked off until their final possession of the quarter. Jenny DeGraaf buried her second 3-pointer of the period to provide UNCW with a 6-5 lead at the 6:32 mark, prompting the Seahawks' 7-0 scoring run during the next six minutes and change. However, Northeastern remained competitive courtesy of UNCW's eight turnovers and upon Stella Clark's reverse layup funneling through with four seconds to go, trailed the Seahawks by 12-7 at the horn.
 
SECOND QUARTER
 
Genco injected life into the Huskies' cause by knocking down a 3-pointer, 10 seconds into the quarter. Claudia Ortiz followed with a driving layup to bring Northeastern within a point at 13-12, although baskets by Rebekah Banks and Moriah Crisp allowed UNCW to surge in front, 17-12, with 5:57 remaining in the half. Giacone answered with a left-handed hook shot in the paint, seconds before Genco stole Grace Sacco's pass and looked ahead to Ortiz, who rolled in the and-one layup to trim the Huskies' deficit to 17-16 at the 5:00 media timeout. Despite Ortiz missing the game-tying free throw out of the timeout, Genco took another steal down the floor for an unassisted layup, capping a 6-0 run for the Huskies that gave them their first lead (18-17) since 5-3. Timber Tate answered with a 3-pointer for UNCW at the 4:10 mark, from where the Huskies would keep the Seahawks off the scoreboard for the remainder of the half. Todd and Giacone provided the final two baskets of the quarter for Northeastern, which carried a 22-20 lead into the break.
 
THIRD QUARTER
 
Banks' layup during UNCW's first touch of the half tied the game at 22-22, which Northeastern broke with an 8-2 run to take its largest lead of the afternoon (30-24) at the time. Clark sandwiched a fast-break layup and pull-up 3-pointer around Genco's steal and transition 3-pointer, but the Huskies surrendered three points back to the Seahawks on Madison Raque's and-one conversion at the expense of Giacone. After Northeastern had carried a 30-27 lead into the 4:52 media timeout, Clark and Genco dialed up consecutive buckets again to lift Northeastern to a 34-27 edge with 3:53 remaining. However, UNCW capitalized on the Huskies' sub-30 percent third quarter shooting to close the period with a 10-0 run and head into the fourth quarter with a 37-34 lead.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
 
Giacone's two-for-four effort at the foul line near the beginning of the fourth quarter ended the Seahawks' 11-0 run and the Huskies' near five-minute stretch without a point. With 8:10 left to play, Lacey Suggs widened UNCW's lead to 41-36 courtesy of her 3-point basket, which Genco answered at the 6:24 mark to trim the gap to 41-39. Out of UNCW's called timeout at the 6:16 mark, Northeastern immediately forced the Seahawks into a shot clock violation, cuing Ortiz to tie the game at 41-41 before draining the 3-pointer that put NU ahead, 44-43. Genco pushed Northeastern into the lead for the final time at 46-45 upon executing a ball fake, then stepping into a jumper near the foul line. Clark tacked on another layup before Genco popped a 3-pointer from the top of the key to rush the Huskies out to a 51-45 lead with 1:29 remaining. Genco closed out her 21-point performance with three free throws at the line, while UNCW scored during only one of its final six possessions of the game.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will remain in the Tar Heel State and visit Elon on Sunday, Jan. 7, when the Huskies take on the defending league champion at 2 p.m.