The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

The independent student newspaper of Northeastern University

The Huntington News

Women’s Basketball: NU loses in double OT

By Jason Kornwitz

In an up-tempo, back and forth affair that extended into double overtime, the Towson Tigers managed to edge the Huskies, 77-75 Sunday at Solomon Court to extend NU’s losing streak to four.

Senior guard Maralene Zwarich totaled 19 points and 10 rebounds, senior forward Quiana Copeland racked up 15 points and 10 boards and sophomore guard Shaleyse Smallwood dished out nine assists, but Northeastern (4-8, 0-3) remains winless in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) conference and losers of three straight at home.

“We competed and we competed hard,” coach Willette White said. “[Towson] kept coming at us but you have to put teams away when you have the opportunity.”

NU jumped out to a 20-9 lead over the Tigers (7-5, 2-1) in the first half when Zwarich streaked down the lane toward the basket, received a Smallwood pass in stride and finished with a lay-up.

But the Tigers ended the half on a high, outscoring NU, 13-7, in the last six minutes to cut the lead to 27-22 behind the shooting efforts of Towson guard Jamell Beasley. Tallying 25 points and 13 rebounds, Beasley nailed a jumper with just eight seconds remaining.

Despite NU building its fragile halftime lead up to 10 at 36-26 four minutes into the second frame, the Tigers struck back, going on a 15-4 run during the next six minutes to take a 41-40 lead halfway through the second half.

The momentum continued to swing as neither club could pull away; Towson shot 50 percent (15-30) from the field in the second half, while NU scored 13 points off turnovers compared to the Tigers’ three. With Towson up 59-57, with 47 seconds left, Copeland snared a rebound off a missed shot and found Zwarich open for a jumper to tie the score. And with eight seconds remaining in regulation, guard Ashlee Feldman made an inbounds pass to Zwarich, who again banked home a lay-up to give NU a 61-59 advantage.

“Maralene’s a kid that wants the ball in those situations,” White said. “To hit those big shots were huge for us down the stretch.”

As time continued to tick, Towson had one last shot and managed to tie the game at 61 with one second left on a jumper by guard Kacy O’Brien. After the bucket, Smallwood took the inbounds pass and heaved up a shot past half court and sunk it. Upon further review, however, Smallwood released the shot only just after time expired.

In the first overtime, Zwarich gathered an offensive rebound off a Smallwood miss and made a lay-up that gave NU a 69-64 lead. The five-point cushion was short-lived, however, as Beasley sunk a three-pointer with just 28 seconds on the clock to tie the score. Not to be outdone, Zwarich drained a jumper with 14 ticks left after another Copeland offensive board.

After the game, Zwarich was sure to credit her teammates for her success.

“I don’t like to talk about what I do,” Zwarich said. “[Quiana] had some good rebounds. It might have been me that made the shot, but it was someone else who got the rebound.”

With six seconds left, Beasley added to her point total by tying the score at 71 and sending the game into a second overtime.

Towson jumped out to a 76-71 lead, but NU cut it to 76-75 after a Smallwood free throw. It was as close as they would get as the Tigers added a point on a free throw, and a last ditch effort to tie the score at 77 was thwarted when forward Tierra Jackson (24 points, 10 rebounds) blocked a Smallwood shot.

Zwarich said the team showed improvement, despite the loss NU committed 16 turnovers compared to Towson’s 23, and scored 22 points off turnovers compared to Towson’s 11.

“We’re still getting used to the [CAA],” she said. “I’m excited. We’re hanging with these teams. It would be a lot more of a boost if we could get a win, but you take this and go to the next one.”

Earlier in the week, NU suffered a 71-43 loss at home to conference opponent Drexel (6-5, 1-1). The Dragons overmatched the Huskies, hitting 10-of-16 three-point attempts, including going 7-for-9 in the first half. The Dragons lead the CAA in 3-point field goals, averaging 6.9 per game.

More to Discover