CHESTNUT HILL — In a mid-winter break contest, the Huskies were victorious 73-67 over the Boston College Eagles in their last game of non-conference play. Both teams came into the game with their own losing streaks, with the Huskies having dropped their last two contests to Rutgers and UMass, and Boston College holding five straight losses.
Even though this was not a game that looked impressive on paper, with the Huskies coming in last in the CAA preseason poll and the Eagles at second to last in the ACC poll, it exceeded expectations with an exciting finish.
The Huskies came out shooting a very efficient 56% from the field in the first quarter, a stark contrast to their average of 40%, compared to Boston College’s 31%. Northeastern came into today Despite leading for a majority of the first half, Northeastern went into halftime down by one, 33-32 and cooled off in the second quarter, shooting just 29% and not hitting a single three.
With a tight contest underway, the third quarter entertained as the Huskies bounced back, going on an extended 18-3 run with Nariyah Simmons having her heat-check moment. She hit three straight three-pointers to extend their lead to 11. However, the Huskies could not score in the last five minutes of the period, and their lead quickly dwindled to just two going into the fourth quarter.
In the final frame, Northeastern looked to have this one all but wrapped up, leading 70-60 with just 47 seconds to go, but inbounding issues for the Huskies gave the Eagles hope. After two free throws and a three from Erin Houpt and Kayla Rolph of Boston College, respectively, the lead was cut to five. However, it was too little, too late for the Eagles, as they looked for threes and couldn’t hit as time expired.
Thanks to the efforts of Justice Tramble and four Huskies in double figures, the Huskies earned their first win against this Boston College program in over three decades, previously beating the Eagles in 1993. Simmons led the team with 16 points, and Tramble came away from today almost having a double-double with nine points and 16 rebounds.
“We told her she just needed to be a force, and she showed that in how she pursued the ball for rebounds,” said head coach Priscilla Edwards-Lloyd of Tramble’s game. “She was relentless today, so really proud of her effort [and] her fight.”
With the win today, the Huskies exceed their win total from last season, now 4-6 through the first ten games of the season. This is also Northeastern’s first Power Four win since 2018, when they defeated the Florida Gators 79-66 in Gainesville, Florida. “Hopefully it keeps the confidence and boost that we can compete with anybody,” Edwards-Lloyd said. “To finish non-conference play with a tough road win against an ACC opponent is a great thing, so we get to carry that momentum and that grittiness into conference play.”
The Huskies will take on UNCW in Wilmington to start CAA play in the new year on January 2, 2026.
Daniel Ku is a third year at Northeastern University, covering Northeastern sports since 2024. Read all of his articles here.