BOX SCORE (PDF)
WILMINGTON, NC. - The Northeastern women's basketball team (18-11, 13-5 CAA ) used a big fourth quarter to erase a 13-point deficit, and rally past host UNCW (5-24, 2-16 CAA), 78-69, on Saturday afternoon at Trask Coliseum.
The win, combined with Drexel's loss to North Carolina A&T, gave the Huskies a share of the regular season title for the first time in program history. Due to tiebreakers, Northeastern will be the no.3 seed and play on Friday, March 10 at Towson's SECU arena. They will face the winner of the TBD #6/#11 second round game.
Sophomore Gemima Motema scored 12 of her team-high 20 points in the fourth quarter, while junior Derin Erdogan added 14 of her 18 points in the final frame.
Both were nearly perfect in the fourth, as Erdogan went 5-of-6 from the field, including 2-of-2 from both three and the free throw line, while Motema went 6-of-7.
Motema reached her total on an impressive 10-of-14 shooting in just 23 minutes, while Erdogan reached hers in just 26 minutes.
The Huskies outscored the Seahawks 38-22 in the paint, and held a 25-12 advantage in points off of turnovers.
- UNCW got off to a quick 8-2 lead, after a 6-0 run at the 7:14 mark.
- A few minutes later, junior Halle Idowu tallied a layup and one play to trim the deficit to 10-7.
- The Seahawks led the whole first quarter, ending on a 6-0 run to take a 22-15 lead into the second.
- Both teams traded buckets to start the second, with UNCW continuing to remain in front. Sophomore Camille Clement tallied a jumper at the 7:13 mark to cut the host's lead to 23-19, but UNCW responded with a 4-0 run.
- Junior Maddie Vizza tallied a three-pointer at the 3:25 mark to make it a 31-27 game, but the Seahawks took a 42-31 lead into halftime.
- The Seahawks shot 51.6% (16-of-13) overall in the first half, while the Huskies shot 37.5% (9-of-24)
- The Huskies got off to a hot start in the third, with nine straight points, highlighted by another three-pointer by Vizza to cut the deficit to 44-40 at the 5:37 mark.
- Northeastern continued to fight back in the final minutes of the quarter with a 6-0 run to take its first lead of the game at 50-49, and took the same score advantage into the fourth.
- The Huskies run continued into the fourth when Motema hit a jumper and moments later, Erdogan stole the ball and made a fastbreak layup to push the lead to five at 54-49.
- Motema and Erdogan continued to go back-to-back in the frame, tallying jumpers midway through to give the Huskies a 65-56 lead at the 4:54 mark.
- The duo then sealed the win with seven straight points in the final minute of play.
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