CAMBRIDGE — It couldn’t possibly get worse for Northeastern after their 58-31 pounding against UNH last Thursday — until it did.
On Wednesday, the Huskies traveled across the river to Harvard, where they took an 89-37 beating from an NCAA tournament-caliber Crimson squad. Northeastern trailed 24-8 after the first quarter and found themselves in a 44-14 hole by halftime — an even larger deficit than the 29-9 one they faced against UNH. By the end of the third, the Crimson led 66-23 and took things home without issue in the fourth, outscoring the Huskies by at least nine points in every quarter.
Though the end result was similar, Northeastern coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd felt the team’s collective effort on the court improved from last Thursday, when she attacked her team’s lack of energy.
“I thought our players played way harder. We fought for rebounds, we sprinted to get back, so I was pleased with the effort,” Edwards-Lloyd said.
Harvard’s star senior guard Harmoni Turner entered the game as the sixth-highest scoring player in D1. Although she didn’t put forth the offensive masterclass we’ve become accustomed to seeing (she scored 79 total points in the two games prior to this one), she still led the game in scoring with 18 points to go along with six rebounds, six assists, and four steals — a solid outing considering she only played 19 minutes..
Senior guard Elena Rodriguez poured in 12 points of her own and sophomore forward Abigail Wright, a rather unexpected source of offense, took over in the second half, finishing the game with 15 points on 7-for-8 (88%) shooting.
As for the Huskies, who fell to 0-4 with the defeat, it was more of the same issues that have plagued them thus far this season. Northeastern failed to make a single three-pointer until senior guard Camille Clement hit a deep three with 1:04 left in the game. Ultimately, Northeastern shot 1-for-18 (6%) from downtown for the game. These shooting woes are nothing new — the Huskies are shooting at a 30.5% clip this season and just 11-for-70 (16%) from three. Their inability to put the ball in the basket has led to record-low scoring outputs. Northeastern now ranks dead last out of all 353 teams in D1 in points per game (40.5) and are the only team that has not yet reached the 50-point mark in a single game this season.
Northeastern didn’t have a single player reach double figures as redshirt sophomore guard Abby Jegede and freshman forward Taylor Holohan led the way with eight points each.
Turnovers bedeviled the Huskies again — they had 21, meaning their clash with Harvard was the third straight game in which they’ve turned the ball over at least 20 times. Holohan and sophomore guard Yirsy Quéliz struggled taking care of the ball, totaling four turnovers each — many of them coming at the hands of Harvard’s swarming full-court press.
Speaking postgame, Edwards-Lloyd was clearly dissatisfied with the loss but praised the team’s freshmen — notably Holohan and freshman center Alyssa Staten.
“They’re playing hard. Taylor competes, she fights for rebounds. She’s figuring it out, offensively, some things, so I’ve been pleased with her effort. And Alyssa’s been playing hard in practice; she fights for rebounds, and she’s physical, so I like that effort.”
Now, Edwards-Lloyd has her sights set on a two-game weekend set against Wagner (7 PM on Friday) and LIU (2 PM on Sunday), pushing her team to continue growing as the season forges onward.
“Keep the effort, and make shots. That’s what it comes down to. We’re getting open looks, we’ve got to be able to make them. We get in the gym and shoot ‘em, so we’ve got to have some confidence that we can make shots,” Edwards-Lloyd said.
Wagner (1-2) and LIU (1-4) both have losing records, which offers Northeastern a good chance to get in the win column for the first time this season before finishing off their three-game road trip at UMass next Wednesday.
The Huskies tip off at Wagner at 7 p.m. on Friday night. Stay tuned to WRBB for coverage of the 2024-25 women’s basketball season.