2007-08 Schedule/Results
2007-08 Statistics
Huskies enjoy vast improvement as 2007-08 comes to a close
Northeastern won three of its first five games, beating Coppin State on a neutral court in Orlando, Fla., defeating Massachusetts in the Huskies’ home opener, and beating Dartmouth on the road. Northeastern also played Boston College tough on the road, only losing by five, 78-73.
Despite getting off to a slow start in the CAA, there were some bright spots for Northeastern. They led at halftime against Towson, and took Drexel down to the wire in Philadelphia. Drexel finished No. 4 in the CAA, and Towson finished No. 5.
Northeastern got revenge on Drexel two weeks after the first meeting, beating the Dragons 59-54 at Solomon Court.
Though the Huskies were residing near the bottom of the CAA standings after losing to conference power James Madison on Feb, 7, La-Force Mann kept the Huskies together and believing in each other, reassuring her players that better times were ahead. Turns out she was right.
Northeastern defeated Hofstra 71-67 three days later in a thrilling overtime contest that was broadcast on FoxSports New York. After falling to Old Dominion, the Huskies rallied from 10-points down to beat William & Mary on the road in another televised game.
The victory over the Tribe was the beginning of a six game winning streak to end the regular season, which vaulted the Huskies all the way up to sixth place in the CAA. After beating William & Mary, Northeastern knocked off George Mason and Georgia State at home, then earned a tough road win over UNC Wilmington for their fourth win in a row. La-Force Mann and the Huskies then gave their five seniors a fitting send-off with a 57-52 win over William & Mary on Senior Day. Following that win, Northeastern secured the No. 6 seed in the CAA Tournament with an 83-77 win over George Mason for its sixth straight win.
Northeastern entered the CAA Tournament as the hottest team in the field, and La-Force Mann and her players saved their best performance of the season for their first round matchup with George Mason, routing the Patriots 78-46. The 32-point margin of victory was the largest for a first round CAA Tournament game since 1994.
Now on a seven game winning streak, which was tied for the second longest winning streak in school history, the Huskies faced Virginia Commonwealth in the quarterfinals. Northeastern played the Rams extremely tough, rallying from 10 points down to take a one point lead, but ultimately falling short as Shaleyse Smallwood’s last second three-pointer just missed.
Though their season came to a heart-wrenching end, La-Force Mann and her players had plenty to be proud of. VCU ended up beating No. 2 James Madison in the CAA semifinals, and was selected to the WNIT.
The Huskies also proved themselves to be among the better defensive teams in the CAA over the second half of the conference schedule. In the final 10 conference games, the Huskies allowed an average of just 61.5 points per game, and averaged 37.3 rebounds per game.
Additionally, the 14 wins was the school’s most since 2004-05, and the 10-win improvement is the second best in school history, behind the 1997-98 team that saw an 11-game improvement from the previous season.
As with all college programs, Northeastern will lose several important players to graduation. However, La-Force Mann will have a strong group of returning players that tasted success this season and learned how to win. Those players will be joined by an impressive recruiting class that features five players who were named All-State, including Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year Brittany Wilson.
With a talented roster coming back, and the confidence and experience her team gained this season, La-Force Mann has the Huskies primed to be among the CAA’s elite teams in 2008-09 and beyond.
March 18, 2008
Boston, MAThough their season ended with an unlucky bounce of the ball, the 2007-08 season for the Huskies can’t be considered anything but an out-and-out success. Led by second year head coach Daynia La-Force Mann, the Huskies won 10 more games than last season, which represents the biggest turnaround in the CAA. Northeastern also won five more CAA games than last season, the second biggest turnaround in conference only games.
