The Providence Friars had lost the last six times they scored 50 points or fewer. Thanks to the Northeastern Huskies’ hapless offense, that streak was snapped today in a 50-45 victory.
This game was just as much of a rock fight as the scoreline indicates. Neither team shot over 37% from the field, nor did they clear the 20% mark from three-point range. Even the easy points were a struggle—Northeastern and Providence combined to shoot 12-for-20 at the free-throw line.
As a result of the 70 missed shots in this one, both teams hit double digits in offensive rebounds, and neither team cleared 10 assists. However, someone had to score, and for Providence, that person was guard Sabou Gueye.
Gueye is the sister of the Atlanta Hawks third-year forward Mouhamed Gueye, and she channeled her family’s basketball excellence this afternoon, pouring in a game-high 21 points on 10-for-16 shooting. Eight of her 10 baskets came at the rim, with three of those coming on fast-break opportunities.
Despite Gueye’s dominance, Northeastern did put up a somewhat surprisingly respectable fight in this one, keeping itself within single digits for the majority of the game. After surrendering a 12-6 deficit to start the game, they weathered the storm with a pair of layups by sophomore guard Camryn Collins and senior guard Nariyah Simmons.
The two teams traded stops and the occasional layup until the 4:24 mark in the second quarter, when the Friars began their big run. From that point to the 8:44 mark in the third, Providencewent on a 10-1 run courtesy of two Gueye layups, three points from freshman center Sami Mancini, and a difficult side-step three by sophomore guard Orlagh Gormley—one of their four three-pointers in the game.
A crowded Alumni Hall was rocking as the Friars took a 30-16 lead, but the Huskies had the answers. Bookended by a mid-range jumper and a long three-pointer from junior guard Yirsy Quéliz, Northeastern used well-rounded scoring to conclude the third quarter on a 13-5 run of their own that cut the Providence lead to just six.
To open the final period, the Friars and Huskies teams traded 8-0 and 9-0 runs, respectively. Gueye started to take over, cashing in on three layups, including an acrobatic spinning finish that earned oohs and ahhs from the crowd, but Quéliz and sophomore center Alyssa Staten responded, making the score 43-36, and sophomore forward Taylor Holohan nailed a layup on a feed from Quéliz, which cut the Huskies’ deficit to five with 5:27 to play.
However, it was Gueye’s day, and she continued to have her way. She responded with two more layups and knocked down the game-sealing free-throw with 10 seconds left, silencing a slight scare from a Quéliz three-pointer that cut the Friars’ lead to just four in the final minute. The win brought the Friars to 3-1 on the season while Northeastern fell to 1-4.
Gueye finished with 11 points in the fourth quarter alone, matching Northeastern’s game-high scoring effort, which came from Quéliz, who hit all three of Northeastern’s threes. No other player scored in double-figures, but Northeastern sophomore guard shot an impressive 4-for-6 from the field for eight points, and Providence sophomore guard Payton Dunbar chipped in with eight points of her own. Friars’ senior forward Tenesia Brown led the game with nine rebounds, and Holohan had four assists to lead all players.
Northeastern’s offense continues to be the thorn in their backside. They now rank 278th in points per game (61.2) among 359 teams in Division 1. They are 274th in assists per game and 235th in field goal percentage. They will need to find some offense this Saturday when they host the Sacred Heart Pioneers in a battle for each team’s second win of the season.
Until then, it’s back to the drawing board for the Huskies.
Northeastern women’s basketball will return to action on Saturday, taking on Sacred Heart. WRBB will have written coverage.