BOSTON — Playing their first game in two weeks — following a matchup they had to forfeit due to limited roster availability — Northeastern played second-place NC A&T tough in the first half before fading away, losing by a final score of 69-55.
The Huskies’ lone scheduled game last weekend against Stony Brook was canceled after Northeastern’s roster had thinned following an accumulation of injuries, and the Huskies returned to the court Friday night with just six players available. Most of those six were on the floor for nearly the entire game. Seniors Derin Erdogan, Deja Bristol, Maddie Vizza and freshman guard Yirsy Quéliz all played at least 35 minutes, with Quéliz on the court for the full 40 minutes.
The short bench also pushed freshman forward Sophia Carlisle into the starting lineup for the first time, and she finished with a season-high six points.
Northeastern had a strong start to the game, jumping out to a 16-6 lead in the first quarter powered by two three-pointers from Erdogan, who had shot just 8-for-44 (18%) from deep in the month of February. The Huskies weren’t as successful from downtown in the rest of the quarter, as they missed their next three attempts from three-point range and allowed the Aggies to end the frame on a 10-2 run. Junior forward Talia Davis, who hails from Dedham, Massachusetts, got the three-point shooting going for the visitors in that span, hitting two threes in the final minute of the quarter.
The second quarter was closely played, with neither team leading by more than a possession. The teams seemed poised to head into halftime tied at 29 before junior guard Jordyn Dorsey hit a three, after Vizza nearly stole the ball from her seconds earlier.
NC A&T went into the break up by three, and it would be the last time Northeastern’s deficit was within a possession, as the Huskies gave up 16 unanswered points to start the third quarter. Eight of those points came from redshirt sophomore center Chaniya Clark, nicknamed “Baby Shaq,” who made three consecutive three-pointers in the quarter despite entering the game shooting 19% from deep on the season.
Northeastern outscored the Aggies outside of the third quarter 48-45, but the 24-7 advantage for the visitors in the third frame proved to be the difference. The Huskies showed flashes of strong ball movement and transition play, especially in the first half. However, the second-half run was too much for the undermanned group to come back from.
“A&T is really good, really aggressive, they put a lot of pressure on you on both sides of the ball,” said Northeastern head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd. “They wore us down a bit, and we just had a really bad third quarter that was hard to overcome.”
Injuries have wreaked havoc on the Huskies’ roster all season, and although this is the first game they have had just six players dressed for, the current health struggles are nothing new — something Edwards-Lloyd told the team postgame.
“I think it’s been the case in different ways all year, of just having to battle through different adversities,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “Obviously not being very deep is a challenge, but we just talked about fighting and staying resilient.”
Northeastern hosts Hampton for their Senior Day game Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. Jordan Walsh will have the call on WRBB Sports+.