DeKalb trips up Naperville N.

A hot-shooting DeKalb team and a flat second half for Naperville North doomed the Huskies on Thursday night at the Benet-Naperville North Holiday Tournament in Naperville.

Senior guard Emily Carpenter contributed 15 points, but it wasn't enough as DeKalb defeated Naperville North 56-42.

Naperville North (4-7) missed 7 baskets in the first half that could have easily turned the tide in the game. But the missed shots and a flat start to the second half devastated any chance for a Huskies comeback.

"I felt like, especially in the first half, there were a ton of shots that didn't go in," said Huskies coach Jacquie Discipio. "I thought they would start to fall in the second half. But I never felt like we got that opportunity tonight."

The Huskies were outscored 14-4 in the third quarter and watched helplessly as DeKalb built a 19-point lead midway through the final quarter. The effort was in contrast to what Discipio thought the team would have shown at the start of the second half.

"I thought we were going to come out fired up from the half," Discipio said. "Our energy was flat. Our effort was flat. And I never felt like we had that internal drive to push us in the second half. "

DeKalb started quickly, zipping out to a 5-0 lead. The Huskies tied it at 7 after junior Shannon Bushman drained a 3-point shot. From there DeKalb pushed a 10-4 run and maintained the lead throughout the game. The Barbs relied on strong shooting and a dominating inside performance from senior Kelli Gerace. The teams traded buckets throughout the second quarter, and the Huskies closed the gap to 29-21 by the end of the first half.

Gerace wreaked havoc on the Huskies early in the third quarter as she scored 8 of the first 12 DeKalb points.