BOX SCORE (PDF)
 
LEXINGTON, KY. – Freshman guard Claudia Soriano tallied a career-high 24 points, and freshman guard Gemima Motema had a career-high 22 points, but Furman (20-14) used a big first half to defeat the Northeastern women's basketball team (14-18) in the final game of the Women's Basketball Invitational on Sunday afternoon.
 
Soriano had her most dominant game of the season, going 9-of-17 from the field, and 6-of-10 from three. The freshman's six three-pointers in the game are one shy of a program record.
 
Along with Soriano, Motema had a stellar day, going 10-of-15 from the field, and 1-of-3 from downtown.  

• Motema picked up right where she left off after Saturday's 20-point performance, notching a layup to open the scoring for the Huskies.
• Furman responded with four straight points to take 4-2 lead at the 6:48 mark.
• A three by Soriano put the Huskies back in front at the 6:30 mark, but the Paladins took the lead right back and took a 15-9 edge into the second.
• Furman continued to remain in front, but the Huskies chipped away at the deficit. Northeastern went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by layups from sophomore guard Amyrah Sapenter and Motema to cut the lead to 23-17 at the 5:41 mark.
• The Paladins closed the quarter on a 15-8 run, and took a 38-25 advantage into halftime.
• The Huskies stormed out to a 6-0 run in the third, highlighted by threes from Soriano and Motema to trim the deficit to 38-31 at the 9:20 mark.
• Northeastern continued to dominate from beyond the arc, as Soriano tallied another three at the 6:16 mark to cut the Furman lead to 43-38.
• The Huskies shot 46.7% in the quarter, but Furman used a late 5-0 run to take a 53-42 advantage.
• Soriano continued her stellar shooting from downtown in the fourth, tallying her sixth three of the game at the 9:41 mark.
• An and one play by Motema made it a five-point game (58-53), but the Paladins responded back with a three to remain ahead.
• Northeastern went on a 6-0 run in the last minute of play, highlighted by a layup from junior guard Century McCartney to cut the Furman edge to 63-61.
• The Paladins ended the game on a 6-0 run to seal the win.

Northeastern's season has come to a close. In her first year as head coach, Bridgette Mitchell tallied 14 wins (eight in CAA play), and an appearance in the WBI. Mitchell's team earned five CAA postseason awards, highlighted by Soriano earning Rookie of the Year accolades.
 
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