KENT, Ohio – Despite a run in the first part of the second half and a double-double from senior Chanel Johnson, the Purple Eagles fell to the Kent State Golden Flashes 69-46 at the M.A.C. Center on Wednesday evening.
 
Johnson scored 15 points and brought down 12 rebounds to become the first player for the Purple Eagles (1-5) to record a double-double this season.  The last time NU had a player turn in a double-double was when Lauren Gatto scored 16 points and added 10 rebounds against Loyola on Feb. 7, 2013.
 
"Chanel had a great night tonight and that's great for her," head coach Kendra Faustin said, "but for us the first half is so disappointing.  In the second half we were better but we need to be better from the start."
 
The second half featured a 13-1 run by the Purple Eagles that started with a layup from Johnson and  ended with a three-pointer from Kelly Van Leeuwen that cut the deficit to 51-37 with 10 minutes left in the half.
 
Van Leeuwen finished the game hitting 3-of-4 chances from beyond the arc for her nine points on the evening.  She also added three assists to bring her season total to a team-leading 23.
 
Down the stretch the Golden Flashes were able to start converting possessions and came away with a 69-46 win.  Tiffany Corselli hit a three-pointer with 3:45 left to play for her first NCAA points of her collegiate career.  She finished the game with five points.
 
"Our young team is struggling to find how to perform for 40 minutes a game.  We have on person who is doing it consistently, and that's Kelly Van Leeuwen.  Every night she is consistent." 
 
The first half started out well for the Purple Eagles; through the first nine minutes they were 6-for-10 from the floor with Meghan McGuinness (3-for-3) and Johnson (3-for-5) leading the way with seven and six points, respectively.  On defense they kept the Golden Flashes to a 7-for-20 clip throughout that nine-minute stretch. 
 
Throughout the final 11 minutes of the period, however, Kent State was able to find a groove in the front court and head into the break leading 40-15.
 
The Purple Eagles land back at the Gallagher Center this Saturday when they take on the Robert Morris Colonials at 2:00 p.m.