BOX SCORE (PDF)
WORCESTER, Mass. — Sophomore guard
Donna Ntambue led the way with a career-high 19 points and freshman guard
Claudia Soriano made her collegiate debut with 12 points and six assists to push Northeastern women's basketball (1-0, 0-0 CAA) to a 71-45 victory over Holy Cross (0-1, 0-0 Patriot League) on Wednesday night in the opening game of the Huskies' 2021-22 season.
Northeastern started off the game with a 9-0 run and never looked back, leading by seven at the half before opening the game up in the second, and winning the game by an impressive 36 points.
- Ntambue, in her Huskies debut after transferring from Utah, played 33 minutes and went 7-11 from the field, including 2-2 from three-point range, to pace all scorers.
- Senior guard Katie May was the third Husky to finish in double figures, scoring 15 points and knocking down four threes in the process. She also grabbed a team-high six rebounds and nabbed three steals to go along with her big night from long range.
- Soriano — who had three steals to go along with her impressive offensive performance — is the first freshman to record 10+ points and 5+ assists since former Husky guard Stella Clark achieved the feat on November 25, 2017 in a game against Houston, scoring 10 points and assisting on five baskets.
- As a team, the Huskies were strong defensively, forcing 25 turnovers and capitalizing on the opportunities, scoring 21 points off the Crusaders' mishaps. The Huskies also had 16 steals, led by senior guard Kendall Currence, who contributed five takeaways.
- Northeastern knocked down their shots at a clip of 47.4% on the evening and shot 10-21 from from three-point range, providing a steady stream of scoring.
- With the win, Huskies' Head Coach Bridgette Mitchell earns her first career win as a head coach at any institution.
- Prior to tonight, Holy Cross had won 32 of their last 43 games at home and went 4-2 at home in 2020-21.
- This is the first opening night win for the Huskies since November 9, 2018, when they beat Boston University 81-51 at home to kick off the season.
After this matchup with an in-state opponent, the Huskies will stay on the road and travel to New Haven, Conn. as they take on the Yale Bulldogs on Friday, November 12 at 5:30 p.m. on
ESPN+.
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