The Northeastern women’s basketball team lost a close game to the University of North Carolina Wilmington, 51-50, in the opening round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament on March 11 at CareFirst Arena.
The result ends Northeastern’s season after a late comeback attempt fell short. The Huskies trailed by as many as six points in the fourth quarter but managed a 9-0 run to take a brief lead before UNCW secured the win with four free throws in the final seconds.
Morgan Matthews led Northeastern with 15 points and eight rebounds, while Nariyah Simmons added 11 points and eight rebounds. Justice Tramble contributed seven rebounds. Despite holding UNCW to just over 30 percent shooting from the field and only 21 percent from three-point range, Northeastern could not overcome its own shooting struggles or UNCW’s advantage at the free-throw line, where the Seahawks made 13 of their 15 attempts.
The game was closely contested throughout. After falling behind early, Northeastern tightened its defense in the second quarter and tied the score by the end of the third. In the fourth quarter, both teams traded leads until Angelina Pelayo hit four consecutive free throws for UNCW in the last minute. Yirsy Quéliz’s layup attempt at the buzzer did not fall for Northeastern.
Kylah Silver led all scorers with 14 points for UNCW and also recorded 11 rebounds and five assists. Pelayo finished with ten points, including her crucial late-game free throws. The Huskies held a rebounding edge but were outscored in points off turnovers and inside the paint.
With this loss, Northeastern concludes its season with a record of seven wins and twenty-three losses.
