Northeastern women's basketball faced a tough start to the season, with consecutive losses including a home opener defeat against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. This article delves into the details of each quarter and the team's efforts to turn things around.

Unraveling the Struggles and Hopes of Northeastern Women's Basketball

Quarter 1: A Tight Battle with the Wildcats

In the opening quarter, Northeastern (0-3, 0-0 CAA) faced a tough opponent in the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (4-1, 0-0 America East). The Wildcats won the tipoff but Northeastern's defense was on point, forcing a shot clock violation and gaining possession. However, a quick foul by Maddie Vizza gave the ball back to the Wildcats, who scored a layup through Lucia Melero Sabat. A turnover by Northeastern put the ball in UNH's hands again, but a block by Taylor Holohan led to a jump ball and Northeastern's possession. Abby Jegede's assist to Holohan for a layup gave the Huskies their first points of the night, tying the game at 2-2. The Wildcats then scored the next points from a layup by Maggie Cavanaugh off a second-chance rebound, but Jegede quickly added two points of her own to bring the score to 4-4. Eva DeChent's layup put UNH in the lead 6-4 before a flurry of turnovers. A foul by Natalie Larrañaga gave possession back to New Hampshire and led to the first media timeout. Quickly out of the timeout, Avery O'Connor got a shot up in the paint to increase the Wildcats' lead to 8-4. Both teams exchanged turnovers until a foul by Belen Morales Lopez sent Yirsy Quéliz to the line. Quéliz missed her first shot but made the second to bring the score to 8-5 UNH with 3:08 left in the quarter. A series of missed shots left the score tied until Sydney Lusher and Jegede exchanged three-pointers. A layup by Clara Gomez for UNH increased the Wildcat lead to 13-8 as the first quarter ended.

Quarter 2: A Rampage by the Wildcats

The Wildcats began a rampage in the second quarter, running away from the Huskies. A transition layup by Gomez gave the Wildcats the first points of the quarter before a foul by Sabat sent Asha Parker to the line. After missing her first shot, Parker made the second for Northeastern's only point of the quarter, bringing the score to 15-9 Wildcats. A series of turnovers occurred for both teams until a turnaround jumper by Gomez in the paint started the Wildcats' scoring streak. A costly foul by María Sánchez Pitarch sent DeChent to the line, where she sank both shots to increase the Wildcats' lead to 10 points with just under six minutes left in the quarter. Parker traveled before Quéliz's lockdown defense sent the ball out of bounds. The Huskies had a moment of energy but it was quickly deflated as DeChent was sent to the line and sank both her free throws to bring the score to 21-9 UNH. Quéliz delivered a successful loft pass to Parker in the paint who was fouled going up for the layup. Parker missed both shots from the line before Cavanaugh did the same for UNH. Off of Cavanaugh's missed free throw, Gomez got the offensive rebound and DeChent went up for an uncontested layup to bring the score to 23-9 and force Northeastern to use a timeout. The timeout was not enough as another costly foul sent Sharmela Reid to the line where she sank both to bring the game to 25-9 with 3:57 remaining. DeChent was unstoppable, scoring a layup through contact to give the Wildcats a 27-9 lead. The Huskies suffered from a three-second violation, a foul, and a travel. Pitarch was sent to the line after being fouled by Cavanaugh but missed both shots. A lack of defense led to an open layup for Reid for the last points of the quarter, leaving the Wildcats lead at 29-9.

Quarter 3: A Glimmer of Hope

Northeastern started the third quarter with the ball and after turnovers by both teams, successfully scored the first basket. A steal by Bailey Williams got the ball to Holohan for a transition layup. The Wildcats quickly went on a six-point streak, then a missed jumper by Quéliz and a foul by Diana Eliasson ended with the ball back in the Huskies' hands. Abby Jegede's beautiful layup slightly cut the lead for the Wildcats. The Wildcats then added back-to-back layups, forcing the Huskies to use another timeout as the score increased to 39-13 in the last two minutes of the quarter. Quéliz was fouled on the way out of the timeout and made both shots. While UNH quickly answered with a layup, Quéliz drained a three-pointer to bring the score to 41-18.

Quarter 4: The Final Stretch

The first points of the fourth quarter were scored off another open layup by DeChent. On the Huskies' fourth foul of the quarter, only two minutes in, Sabat had an and-one to give UNH a 30-point lead. Avery O'Connor added a layup that was quickly answered with a jumper by Quéliz. Pitarch fouled Cavanaugh to put the Wildcats into the bonus only three minutes into the quarter. Cavanaugh missed the first and made the second to make it 51-20. Quéliz struck again with her second three-pointer of the night before two fouls and a turnover by Parker sent Reid to the line for four shots where she made three. The Wildcats led 54-23 into the last media timeout. A costly turnover by Natalie Larrañaga led to a three-pointer by O'Connor. Both Holohan and Aina Roque Sucarrats went to the line and made one basket each before Larrañaga was fouled and made both to bring it to 58-26. The game remained scoreless for two-and-a-half minutes before a three-pointer by Jegede ended the streak with less than a minute left. Jegede struck again with a buzzer beater layup to end the game 58-31 UNH.The Huskies hope to pick up their first win of the season against Harvard (4-1, 0-0 Ivy League) on November 19 in Cambridge. The Huntington News is dedicated to serving the Northeastern University community with original, professional reporting and creating an environment for student journalists to learn from one another. Support an independent, free press at Northeastern University with your donation today.

LSU women's basketball faced a bit of a scare last time against Murray State. For the first time this season, the Tigers trailed at halftime and going into the fourth quarter. But Kim Mulkey's defense tightened up in the second half, especially in the fourth, as No. 7 LSU avoided early-season disaster and won 74-60. After giving up 46 points in the first half, the most so far this season including a 32-point second period, LSU bounced back and allowed only 14 points in the third and fourth quarters.

Carrying Defensive Effort into the Next Game

LSU will look to carry that second-half defensive effort into their next game against Troy inside the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Monday night. The Trojans average 72 points per game and scored 71 at Alabama back on Nov. 10. Opponents have been able to score freely against Troy, which bodes well for LSU, who with Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams can score in large numbers.

LSU's defensive performance in the second half against Murray State was a turning point. It showed their ability to adjust and tighten up when needed. This is crucial as they face Troy, a team that has struggled to defend against opponents. The Tigers need to build on this momentum and continue to play strong defense in the upcoming game.

Kim Mulkey's coaching during the second half was instrumental in the team's comeback. Her ability to motivate the players and get them to focus on defense paid off. Now, the team needs to carry that same intensity and focus into the next game against Troy.

Upcoming Schedule and Opponents

Here's a look at LSU's 2024-25 women's basketball schedule:Monday, Nov. 4: Eastern Kentucky (W 95-44)Friday, Nov. 8: Northwestern State (W 95-36)Tuesday, Nov. 12: Charleston Southern (W 117-44)Friday, Nov. 15: Murray State (W 74-60)Monday, Nov. 18: Troy | 7 p.m. | SEC Network+Wednesday, Nov. 20: Tulane | 7 p.m. | SEC Network+Monday, Nov. 25: Washington | 12:30 p.m. CST | FloCollege (Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship, Nassau, Bahamas)Wednesday, Nov. 27: Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship, Nassau, BahamasSunday, Dec. 1: NC Central | 2 p.m. | SEC Network+Thursday, Dec. 5: Stanford | 8 p.m. | ESPN2 (SEC/ACC Challenge)Sunday, Dec. 8: Grambling | 2 p.m. (Bossier City, La.)Sunday, Dec. 15: Louisiana | 2 p.m. | SEC Network+Tuesday, Dec. 17: Seton Hall | 5 p.m. | FS1 (Basketball Hall of Fame Women’s Showcase, Uncasville, Connecticut)Thursday, Dec. 19: at Illinois-Chicago | 7 p.m. | ESPN+Sunday, Dec. 29: Albany | 1 p.m. | SEC Network+Thursday, Jan. 2: at Arkansas | 8 p.m. | SEC NetworkSunday, Jan. 5: Auburn | 3 p.m. | SEC NetworkThursday, Jan. 9: at Tennessee | 5:30 p.m. | SEC Network+Monday, Jan. 13: Vanderbilt | 6 p.m. | SEC NetworkSunday, Jan. 19: at Florida | Noon | SEC NetworkThursday, Jan. 23: at South Carolina | 7 p.m. | ESPNSunday, Jan. 26: Texas A&M | 3 p.m. | SEC NetworkThursday, Jan. 30: Oklahoma | 6 p.m. | ESPN2Sunday, Feb. 2: Mississippi State | 1 p.m. | SEC NetworkThursday, Feb. 6: at Missouri | 6:30 p.m. | SEC Network+Sunday, Feb. 9: Tennessee | 3 p.m. | ESPNSunday, Feb. 16: at Texas | 2 p.m. | ABCThursday, Feb. 20: Georgia | 8 p.m. | SEC NetworkSunday, Feb. 23: at Kentucky | 3 p.m. | ESPNThursday, Feb. 27: at Alabama | 8 p.m. | ESPN or SEC NetworkSunday, March 2: Ole Miss | 3 p.m. | SEC NetworkMarch 5-9: SEC Tournament (Greenville, South Carolina)March 19-April 6: NCAA tournament

Kim Mulkey's Impact on the Team

Kim Mulkey's leadership and coaching have been crucial to LSU's success. Her ability to get the best out of her players and make strategic adjustments during the game has been evident. In the game against Murray State, her defensive adjustments in the second half turned the tide and led to the team's victory.

She also plays a key role in recruiting, as seen with the 2025 recruiting class. Her ability to attract top talent will help the team continue to improve in the future. With players like Flau’jae Johnson, Aneesah Morrow and Mikaylah Williams, LSU has a strong core that can compete at a high level.

Overall, Kim Mulkey's impact on LSU women's basketball extends beyond just on-court performance. Her leadership and coaching have helped build a winning culture within the program.

Other Notable Events

Kim Mulkey 'in heaven' meeting Saban spoke to LSU women's basketball before NSU game. LSU women's basketball dominated Charleston Southern as Aneesah Morrow shone for Tigers.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.