Northeastern women’s basketball (7-22, 3-15 CAA) took a heartbreaking loss to the University of North Carolina Wilmington Seahawks (7-24, 2-16 CAA) March 11, 51-50, in the first round of the CAA tournament to bring an end to the season.
The Huskies’ usual offensive weapons — sophomore guard Camryn Collins and sophomore forward Justice Tramble — were shut down, only scoring six and two points, respectively. Sophomore guard Morgan Matthews stepped up big for Northeastern, leading in points with 15 and in rebounds with eight. Graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons was also a main contributor for the Huskies, grabbing eight rebounds and notching 11 points.
In the first quarter, the Huskies were the most productive offensively as they would be all game, shooting 50% from the field and outscoring the Seahawks 19-13. The first quarter was tight the whole way, with the lead swapping three times. In the final two minutes, Northeastern went on a 6-0 run, courtesy of a 3-pointer by Simmons, a jumper by Collins and a layup by Matthews in the paint.
Five straight points for the Seahawks to open up the second quarter brought Northeastern’s lead down to one, but an 8-2 run put the Huskies up 29-22 with two minutes to go. UNCW scored a layup with over a minute left for the last points of the quarter, bringing Northeastern’s lead to two possessions at 29-24.
Northeastern notoriously struggles out of halftime, and although it still played well, its largest deficit to the Seahawks came in the third quarter, creating a gap it could not come back from.
UNCW opened up the quarter with an 8-2 run to take the lead back for the first time since the first quarter. Back-to-back shots put Northeastern ahead once again at 35-32, and the Huskies held the lead until the Seahawks took it back with a 3-pointer and a layup by freshman forward Icyss Storm, 39-37. A layup for Northeastern in the last 40 seconds tied it at 39 going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, fouls did the Huskies in, as seven crucial points for UNCW came from the line. Another 8-2 run to open up the quarter for the Seahawks put them up 47-41 as the quarter headed into a media timeout.
The Huskies fought back, scoring nine straight to take a 50-47 lead with under two minutes to go. Then, with 49 seconds left, Collins gave up a costly foul to send UNCW’s redshirt freshman center Angelina Pelayo to the line. She sank both shots, cutting the lead to one point. The Huskies held their lead the rest of the way until the final two seconds, when Simmons gave up another foul. Both shots went through the net, giving the Seahawks the win at 51-50.
Northeastern immediately took a timeout before stepping back on the court for the biggest possession of the season. Junior guard Yirsy Quéliz took the ball down the court and into the paint. She shot a layup, but the attempt was no good. Just like that, the season was over.
Although the Huskies’ season was not what they would have hoped for, there were some great successes, especially compared to last season. Their win count improved from three to seven, and the team brought games significantly closer than last season: 10 of its losses came by less than 10 points compared to six the year before. The team largely remained healthy through the year, a big improvement from the team that was down to five players at one point last season.
Transfer players were the driving force behind Northeastern’s success this year. Four of Northeastern’s five top scorers were transfers, and Collins led the way, notching 320 points. Tramble led the team in rebounds and was third in points. Simmons and Matthews also came in clutch for the Huskies and were major contributors.
Quéliz, the longest tenured member of the team, was first in 3-pointers, assists and minutes on the court and second in points and steals.
For next season, the team is only losing two graduates in Simmons and redshirt senior guard Natalie Larrañaga. That means the team can build on its success with more experience under players’ belts and take in new additions to become a stronger competitor in the CAA.