PISCATAWAY, NJ – With the momentum of Friday night’s matchup with the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights defined by a lack of first-half scoring opportunities and a superfluous amount of personal fouls, it should come as no surprise that the Northeastern University Huskies did not hold a lead at any point during their 79-56 loss.
Rutgers brutally outperformed Northeastern in every major stat category except for 3FG%, although it is important to note that the Scarlet Knights did score more total three-pointers, converting seven of their 20 attempts to Northeastern’s six on 15 tries.
Although the pace of play favored Rutgers throughout the whole game, the Huskies opened the game with an energetically aggressive playstyle that looked like we were initially set for a solid bout.
Sophomore center Alyssa Staten started the night for the Huskies with a shot from inside the paint, and sophomore Camryn Collins earned five points off of her own two jumpers in the first quarter.
Unfortunately for Northeastern, its foul troubles started early and allowed Rutgers to maintain complete control as the game progressed. An 8-2 Scarlet Knights run ended the quarter with the score sitting safely in Rutgers’ hands at 21-10, with the Huskies having already allowed Rutgers five free chances at the line.
The second quarter produced similar struggles, especially on the offensive front.
While usual Northeastern scorers like junior guard Yirsy Quéliz and sophomore Morgan Matthews were just getting their first buckets of the game, Rutgers’ junior forward Nene Ndiaye had already collected 15 points by the end of the first half. The Huskies were shooting a weak 32.3% from the field and had racked up seven personal fouls, allowing Rutgers to post an immaculate 10-for-10 on free throws. Rutgers themselves shot to a 44.8% clip with 11 points off turnovers in the half.
The Huskies showed some life in the third quarter with Quéliz and graduate student guard Nariyah Simmons going back and forth with Rutgers sophomore Zachara Perkins and senior Antonia Bates in a three-point shootout. A streak of impressive shooting boosted the Huskies to a 39.5% shooting clip. However, their rate of fouling never slowed down, only getting worse as the second half progressed.
Rutgers closed out the game with a slower fourth quarter than the standards they had set during the previous quarters of the night. They finished with a shooting percentage notched at 44%, and Northeastern managed to bring itself up to 42% on the night. Ndiaye led the Scarlet Knights with 19 points, and Quéliz led the Huskies with 11 of her own. In the end, the Huskies were simply unable to overcome their early shooting struggles and persistent foul trouble, and Rutgers’ consistency on both ends of the floor carried them wire to wire.
Northeastern will look to regroup as they head into their next matchup at home against UMass Amherst on Wednesday, December 3rd.
Michael Kaminsky is a sophomore at Northeastern in his first year with WRBB. He is thrilled to be a part of the broadcast team, and is eager to cover many games across Northeastern’s various athletic programs.