PHILADELPHIA -- Camryn Collins returned to the lineup and led Northeastern (7-19, 3-13 CAA) with 15 points, but a 25-point third quarter by Drexel (18-8, 10-4 CAA) proved too much to overcome as the Huskies fell to the Dragons 72-61 on Friday night at the Daskalakis Athletic Center.

Collins finished with 15 points on 7-of-12 shooting, adding four assists and a steal in 28 minutes. Morgan Matthews chipped in 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, and Justice Tramble added 13 points on a 5-of-7 shooting performance from the field. Taylor Holohan provided a steadying presence with seven rebounds, three assists and two blocks off the bench.

Northeastern shot the ball well on the night, connecting on 51.0 percent from the field — a strong output against a Drexel defense that entered the game allowing just 56.7 points per game, ranked 23rd nationally. But Drexel guard Laine McGurk had her way with the Northeastern defense all night, finishing with a game-high 26 points on 8-of-15 shooting including 4-of-6 from three and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free throw line. CAA-leading scorer Amaris Baker added 12 points and Bria Watkins came off the bench for nine.

Northeastern took control early. After Morgan Matthews knocked down a three-pointer at the 8:49 mark of the first quarter, the Huskies went on a 7-0 run capped by a Collins floating jumper and a Tramble driving layup to take a nine-point lead with 5:26 to play in the period. Drexel chipped away at that deficit, however, and a McGurk fast-break three-pointer with 42 seconds left and a Grace O'Neill triple off a Baker assist with two seconds remaining sent the teams into the second quarter tied at 18.

The Huskies maintained the tightly contested game into the second period. Collins tied the game at 22 with a fast-break layup in the seventh minute of the quarter, and then restored a tie at 24 with a second-chance pull-up off a María Sánchez Pitarch offensive rebound. Northeastern kept scrapping — an Alyssa Staten layup and free throw in the final 18 seconds knotted the score at 31 heading into halftime, setting up what looked like a winnable second half for the Huskies.

The third quarter told a different story. Drexel outscored Northeastern 25-11 in the period, using the Huskies' seven third-quarter turnovers to manufacture easy baskets in transition and to fuel a 9-of-15 shooting performance from the field. McGurk scored 11 points in the quarter alone, hitting two free throws, a mid-range jumper and a three-pointer, while Baker, O'Neill and Bria Watkins also contributed. Drexel stretched its lead to as many as 17 with a Mariah Watkins jumper with 36 seconds left in the period, and Northeastern trailed 56-42 heading into the fourth with the hole too deep to escape.

The Huskies put together a respectable fourth quarter, outscoring Drexel 19-16 in the final period. Tramble attacked the basket repeatedly in the closing frame, converting three layups and finishing with four fourth-quarter points, while Kailee Beaudion-Foliaki added a pair of free throws. Northeastern also took advantage of Drexel's 15-point second-chance advantage from the first three quarters in a reversal, scoring 16 of its 19 fourth-quarter points in the paint. But the deficit proved insurmountable, and the final score was 72-61.

Drexel's 15 second-chance points against Northeastern's two was ultimately one of the defining differences on the night. The Dragons outrebounded the Huskies 33-26 and converted 9-of-14 second-chance field goal opportunities.

The Huskies return to the Cabot Center on Sunday, March 1 to host Hampton at 1 p.m., before closing out the regular season against Hofstra on Saturday, March 7 at 1 p.m.