Jan. 24, 2009
Final Stats
Box Score in PDF Format 
Gametracker
ATHENS, Ohio -The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team withstood a second half rally by Ohio University to extend its winning streak to four games after defeating the Bobcats, 67-59, in the Convocation Center in Athens, Ohio Saturday afternoon.
"Our team was really fired up and ready to play," NIU head coach Carol Owens said. "We've had some success on the road. That's the mark of a really good team, which is what we are trying to be."
With the Huskies (10-9, 5-1) up 49-35 with 12:54 left to play, Ohio went on a 14-2 run to pull within two of NIU, 51-49, with 8:16 left in the game. A layup by Ebony Ellis (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township) and a three pointer by Kylie York (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) settled things for the Huskies and gave NIU a 56-49 lead with six minutes left in the contest.
With an eight-point lead with 2:19 left, it appeared as if NIU would begin to distance themselves from the Bobcats (7-11, 3-3). However, a three pointer from Ohio's Jenny Poff cut the Huskie lead to 61-56 with just over two minutes left to play. Back to-back three pointers from senior Jessie Wilcox (Oshkosh, Wis./West) gave NIU a 67-57 lead with a minute left to play and ended any Bobcat hopes for victory.
"Jessie was huge for us and Ebony did her thing inside," Owens said. "When we needed a basket, Jessie came up big for us."
Wilcox and Ellis led the way for the Huskies, each scoring a game-high 19 points. Wilcox also led the team with five assists and four steals. Ellis' 19 points is a career high for the sophomore center. She also posted her fourth double-double of the season grabbing a game-high 11 boards. Mauvolyene Adams (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) had a strong day on the glass, grabbing 11 rebounds in addition to her five points. The Huskies out-rebounded Ohio, 44-33.
"We knew they were a very good rebounding team, so that was a point of emphasis for us," Owens said. "Teams are going to make a charge, and we withstood Ohio's."
The Huskies made a season-high nine three pointers in the game, shooting 45 percent from three-point land, going 9-for-20 from beyond the arc. Wilcox, who went 7-of-15 from the field, was 5-of-12 from three-point territory. She now sits in fifth on the Huskies all-time three-pointers made list with 126 treys in her career.
NIU snapped a four-game losing streak to the Bobcats. The last Huskie win over Ohio came in Athens, Jan. 29, 2003, when NIU escaped with a 61-60 victory. With five wins in their first six games, the Huskies are off to their best start in conference play since the 1993-94 season when NIU won their first six Mid-Continent Conference games en route to an 18-0 MCC finish.
NIU returns home Saturday to play host to the Falcons of Bowling Green State. Tip off is set for 1 p.m. CST. For tickets, contact the NIU ticket office at 815-752-6800 or log on to www.niuhuskies.com. Fans can follow all the action with Bill Baker on 1360 AM WLBK and via Gametracker at www.niuhuskies.com. Saturday's game is the first of a doubleheader with Bowling Green. The men's basketball team will take of the Falcons at 4 p.m.
-NIU-
