NEW HAVEN, Conn. (Interstat) — The Northeastern Huskies used a dominant first half and a decisive third-quarter response to secure a 75-64 victory over the Yale Bulldogs in a non-conference women’s basketball game Friday night at Payne Whitney Gymnasium.

In a game where Yale was projected as a heavy favorite, Northeastern improved its record to 1-1 on the young season, while the Bulldogs dropped their opener in front of an announced crowd of 524.

The Huskies seized control from the opening tip, racing out to a 21-13 lead after the first quarter. The offensive burst was fueled by a balanced attack, with Nariyah Simmons and Yirsy Quéliz each connecting on early three-pointers. However, Yale answered forcefully in the second period, outscoring Northeastern 23-19 behind a strong performance from Kiley Capstraw to narrow the gap. The Huskies took a 40-36 lead into halftime.

Any momentum Yale carried into the break was quickly extinguished. Northeastern opened the third quarter with a 15-2 run, re-establishing a commanding double-digit lead. The Huskies outscored the Bulldogs 23-11 in the frame, effectively putting the game out of reach. Yale managed to win the fourth quarter 17-12, but could not overcome the deficit created in the third.

Northeastern’s offense was efficient, scoring 75 points on 74 possessions for an offensive rating of 100.7. The Huskies shot 45.2 percent from the floor, making 28 of 62 field goal attempts. They were also effective from beyond the arc, hitting 5 of 14 three-point attempts. Defensively, they forced 19 Yale turnovers while committing 17 of their own.

Yale, by contrast, struggled with its offensive execution, posting an offensive rating of 80.8 by scoring 64 points on 79 possessions. The Bulldogs shot 36.8 percent from the field, converting 25 of 68 attempts, and were hampered by a 4-for-17 performance from three-point range.

Morgan Matthews and Yirsy Quéliz led a balanced Northeastern scoring effort with 15 points apiece. Matthews, a guard from Lawrenceville, N.J., added three assists, while Quéliz, from Concepción de la Vega, Dominican Republic, contributed four rebounds. Nariyah Simmons of St. Louis and Camryn Collins of Foxboro, Mass., each chipped in 14 points. In the paint, center Alyssa Staten of Statesboro, Ga., was a force, pulling down nine rebounds to go with seven points.

For Yale, forward Kiley Capstraw of West Orange, N.J., led all scorers with 19 points in 37 minutes of action. Guard Ciniya Moore of Bradenton, Fla., added 20 points. Forward Luisa Vydrova of Prague, Czech Republic, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in a strong all-around effort.

The Huskies will look to build on the win when they host Boston University on Tuesday. Yale will seek its first victory of the season the same night at home against Hofstra.