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ELON, N.C. – Despite Kendall Currence and Mide Oriyomi delivering 16 points apiece during Thursday's CAA quarterfinal, the seventh-seeded Northeastern women's basketball team was unable to claw back from its slow start against second-seeded James Madison as the Huskies were handed the 81-65 defeat at Elon's Schar Center.
 
Currence kept the Huskies competitive throughout the night after Northeastern (7-13) had spotted James Madison (14-9) the 29-10 lead at the end of the first quarter. The junior guard routinely attacked the paint, knocking down seven shots inside the arc – two of which brought NU within eight points of the Dukes during the third quarter.
 
Oriyomi registered each of her 16 points during the second half, tracking down five rebounds behind Currence's team high, seven. Fifth-year forward Ayanna Dublin finished with 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals while fellow senior Stella Clark contributed nine points and eight assists to the Huskies' cause.
 
Entering the postseason as the CAA 3-point leader, Northeastern was limited to 3-of-19 shooting from downtown while conversely allowing JMU to hit 15 of its 36 looks around the perimeter. With 15 assists and nine turnovers, the Huskies sported their best assist-turnover ratio of the entire 2020-21 season, outscoring the Dukes across the game's final three quarters.
 
James Madison began the evening with a furious, 7-0 run that prompted Northeastern to burn a timeout less than two minutes into the contest. Izzy Larsen accounted for six straight NU points to kickstart the Huskies' offense, but the Dukes managed to end the quarter with a 16-4 scoring run to control the healthy lead.
 
Northeastern rallied to chip away at its deficit, receiving a clutch and-one basket from Currence in transition that cut the score to 35-23 with two minutes to go in the first half. Larsen and Dublin soon followed with a pair of interior finishes as the Huskies closed the gap to 37-27 by the mid-game horn.
 
Oriyomi arrived during the third quarter, sinking two early free throws to slide NU within seven points at 40-33. However, the Dukes relied on their strong 3-point shooting to pull away for good, draining nine long-range makes during the second half.
 
Kiki Jefferson led James Madison with 23 points, shooting 6-of-8 behind the arc. Peyton McDaniel provided 22 points off the bench for the Dukes, notching five 3-point jumpers.
 
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