BOSTON, Mass. – Senior guard Dominique Johnson hit a three-pointer with 7.4 seconds to play which lifted the Towson University women's basketball team to a 72-71 win over Northeastern in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) opener for both squads.

The Tigers got a balanced effort in their second straight win, as eight Tigers scored at least three points. Redshirt sophomore forward Jordyn Smith led the Tiger efforts with 17 points and nine rebounds.

THE BASICS
Towson 72, Northeastern 71
Cabot Center, Boston, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first quarter proved to be a back-and-forth affair as there were six ties. Northeastern (5-7, 0-1 CAA) scored the final five points of the stanza and took a 24-19 lead after 10 minutes of play. Claudia Ortiz had a three for the Huskies during that stretch.
• The two teams continued to trade baskets to start the second quarter. Kazzidy Stewart connected on a three-pointer with 6:33 showing on the clock which gave Northeastern a 33-24 lead. The two teams went back-and-forth as Loren Lassister's jumper at 2:46 gave the home team a 38-29 advantage. Towson closed the quarter on an 8-0 run which cut its deficit to one, 38-37 at the half. Smith had three points during that key stretch
• Northeastern opened the third quarter on a 9-4 run and pushed its lead to 47-41 with 5:49 left in the stanza. Gabriella Giacone scored five of the Huskies' nine during that stretch. Towson cut the deficit to four on a lay-up from freshman guard Sianni Martin. A lay-up from Francesca Sally with 1:41 to go in the quarter pushed the home team advantage back to six. Towson responded with an 8-1 run and took a 54-53 lead after three quarters.
• Towson opened the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run and extended its lead to 63-55 with 4:43 to play. Junior guard Raven Bankston had four of the Tigers' nine during that stretch. The Tigers took their largest lead of the game, 67-57 with 2:49 to play. That lay-up came from junior forward Brianna Bush.
• Northeastern was not done in the game as the Huskies used a 13-0 run over a 1:40 span to take a 70-67 lead. Zoe Zwerling hit a pair of three-pointers during that run while Jess Genco connected on the go-ahead three.
• Trailing by three with 34 seconds to play, the Tigers called timeout. Following the timeout, Towson got a lay-up from Martin to pull to within one, 70-69 with 23 seconds showing on the clock. A Towson foul put Genco on the line for two but she was only able to make one shot, giving Northeastern a 71-69 lead with 16 seconds left. Towson called its final timeout and coming out of the break, redshirt sophomore guard Raine Bankston passed to an off-balance Johnson who hit the three. Northeastern had one last shot but it fell short and sophomore center Daijha Thomas corralled the rebound to secure the win.

QUOTABLE

• "It's a great win on the road for us," said Towson Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "The first conference win and it gives us a lot more confidence. We've won two straight games and we've been able to put it together. A guard play has been strong but we knew to be where we needed to be we needed everyone contributing and you've seen our forwards step up. People like Jordyn were big today."
• "I was thinking about the game two years ago when it came down to last second shot," said Johnson. "Coach G said remember what happened. Big time players make big plays. Although that three was a big play, I got to give a lot of credit to Jordyn for stepping up today and setting the tone for us."

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Towson opened CAA play with a win for the second time in three years under Reid Geckeler.
• The Tigers posted their best field goal percentage of the season – shooting 47.4% for the game.
• Towson featured a balanced attack for the second straight game as eight of the nine Tigers who played scored atleast three points and grabbed at least one rebound.
• Smith's 17 points were a career-high and her nine rebounds left her just shy of her first career double-double.
• Johnson added 14 points, five rebounds and three assists while Raven Bankston had 10 points.

The Tigers are back in action when they welcome William & Mary to SECU Arena on Friday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. The Tribe defeated James Madison in overtime on Sunday.