BOSTON – It was a rough night for the Huskies at the Cabot Center, as Northeastern’s CAA opener against Delaware resulted in a frustrating 86-73 defeat. Despite an efficient team 43.9% shooting performance from the floor and a career night from guard Derin Erdogan, Northeastern ultimately lost grasp of the game due to rebound difficulties and a rough fourth quarter in which the Huskies were outscored 29-21.
“I thought we played hard, but I didn’t think we won enough loose balls. That led to a lot of fouls, so that was pretty much the game,” said head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd when asked her opinions regarding the contest.
Northeastern’s rebounding struggles have persisted throughout their ongoing six-game losing skid — Huskies were outrebounded by opponents 205-153 leading up to Friday’s game. Delaware outrebounded Northeastern an astonishing 40-28 on Friday, and the Huskies have been outrebounded by opponents 245-181 over the past six games.
The Blue Hens’ 17 offensive rebounds, as opposed to the Huskies’ 11, supplied Delaware with the opportunities to score their 11 second-chance points. Senior FDU transfer Chloe Wilson came into the game leading Delaware with 69 rebounds and 5.8 rebounds per game. Her success continued as she torched the Huskies with 10 rebounds in a double-double performance that included 21 points (5-14 shooting). The Huskies must lock down on rebounding to reach their full potential as Northeastern moves forward in conference play and the remainder of the season,
“Rebounding is just fight,” said coach Edwards-Lloyd. “You gotta push somebody back; you gotta want the ball more. So we gotta figure out ways to win the ball.”
One positive from an otherwise disappointing night was Derin Erdogan, who shined for the Huskies, putting up a career-high 32 points that included a remarkable 7 steals. Coach Edwards–Lloyd has asked a lot from Erdogan in her senior campaign, who entered the game leading the Huskies with 351 minutes played despite playing the entire season through a shoulder injury. Erdogan played in all 40 minutes of the contest and kept the Huskies in the game for most of the night.
“She’s giving everything she has. She’s fighting. She played a lot, so I thought she played extremely hard and was fighting through it.”
The game was well within Northeastern’s reach for the first three quarters, as the Huskies trailed the Blue Hens by only five points entering the final period. However, a 10-0 Delaware run and three Northeastern scoring droughts of over two minutes sealed the game for the Blue Hens.
Northeastern was without junior guard Gemima Motema, who was sidelined with injury. Motema’s struggle to stay healthy throughout the season has caused her field goal percentage to drop to 35% after shooting a stellar 48% from the floor in her sophomore season. Motema has been in and out of the Husky lineup leading up to the Delaware game, and the status of her injury is currently unknown. Regardless, Motema is a valuable asset to Northeastern and potentially losing her for a prolonged period of time would really hurt Northeastern’s potential in CAA play.
The Huskies return to action against Delaware on Sunday. WRBB’s next women’s basketball broadcast will be on Sunday, Jan. 14, when Northeastern takes on Hofstra at the Cabot Center. Jordan Walsh and Max Schwartzberg will be on the call.