BOSTON — Is it possible to hit rock bottom three games into the season?
The Huskies certainly hope Thursday night’s game — a 58-31 thumping on their home floor at the hands of New Hampshire — is the worst it gets, because otherwise, it is going to be a long and agonizing year on Huntington Avenue.
The total of 31 points scored by Northeastern – in their home opener, to boot – was the lowest for the program in a single game since a 44-29 loss to Binghamton in January 2004, and even that may be understating just how bad Thursday’s offensive performance was.
The Huskies trailed 13-8 after the first quarter, and were only able to muster a single point in the entire second frame, heading into the halftime break down 29-9. The Huskies trailed 39-13 at one point late in the third quarter, and were down 58-24 late in the fourth before ending the game on a 7-0 run, which included a buzzer-beating layup by redshirt sophomore guard Abby Jegede to narrowly avoid being doubled up in the scoring column for the second straight game (following a 92-46 loss to Boston College on Monday).
What has to be particularly frustrating is that the visitors did not have a stellar shooting night themselves — UNH went 2-for-14 (14%) from three-point range, their worst performance of the young season. The Wildcats, however, dominated the interior game as compared to Northeastern, outscoring them in the paint 40-10 and outrebounding them 42-25.
The Huskies were simply sloppy from the jump. Their first two possessions ended on an offensive foul by graduate student guard Maddie Vizza, and a traveling violation by senior forward Asha Parker, respectively, which set the tone for the entire game. The Huskies were whistled for a ridiculous amount of walks and fouls throughout the night, and that was where UNH took advantage, outscoring them 24-5 on points off of turnovers.
Northeastern head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd, speaking postgame, was understandably terse.
“We didn’t play with effort,” said Edwards-Lloyd. “We didn’t play hard enough.”
The Huskies did get a boost personnel-wise Thursday, with sophomore guard Yirsy Quéliz suiting up for the first time this season, after being cleared to play following a concussion that kept her out of the first two games.
Quéliz did not start the contest, but played 24 minutes, and was one of the few bright spots on the court for the home team. Quéliz, Jegede, and freshman forward Taylor Holohan combined to score all 10 field goals for Northeastern in the game — the rest of the team combined to go 0-for-20 from the field.
“It was good to see [Quéliz] back out there,” Edwards-Lloyd said.
It does not get any easier for the Huskies, as their next game comes against rival Harvard, who beat a nationally-ranked Indiana team last week, and on Thursday night took down the same Boston College team that trounced Northeastern on Monday.
The Huskies, continuing to search for their first win of the season, make the short trip to Allston on Tuesday night to take on the Harvard Crimson. WRBB’s Jordan Walsh and Webb Constable will have the call at 7 p.m.