Jan. 7, 2009

Box Score

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MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. - The Northern Illinois women's basketball team held the top scoring offense in the Mid-American Conference to its fewest point total of the year, leading the Huskies to a 75-70 win over Central Michigan, Wednesday at Rose Arena.

Up two points with 1:44 remaining, senior guard Jessie Wilcox (Oshkosh, Wis./West) sunk a three-pointer, and Ebony Ellis (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township) followed with a breakaway lay-up to give the Huskies a 72-65 lead with just over a minute left, sealing the win.

The win is the first in a MAC opener for fourth year head coach Carol Owens. Northern Illinois improved to 6-8 on the season. Central Michigan, which held the sixth-ranked scoring offense in the nation entering Wednesday's contest, dropped to 8-6 (0-1 MAC).

"I'm just really proud of our ladies," Owens said. "They understand we're in MAC play... and this is a huge win against a very good team."

Owens keyed on leadership as the driving force to victory.

"When it comes down to games like this on the road, you've got to have some leadership," she said. "Our seniors and juniors stepped up and that's what I asked of them going into the MAC."

The duo of Wilcox and Kylie York (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern), a junior, was especially effective. The two combined for 29 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and just two turnovers. Owens also complimented Ellis, a sophomore, who poured in 17 points to go with eight boards and three blocks.

"It was a great team effort, but Ebony came up with some huge rebounds down the stretch," Owens said.

Northern Illinois played some of its best defense of the year en route to its third win in four games. The Huskies held CMU to just 28 percent (9-of-32) shooting in the second half, and 35 percent (21-of-60) for the game.

The Huskies set the stingy tone from the start, holding the Chippewas to 2-of-11 shooting over the first six minutes. Later in the half, NIU held CMU without a basket for over four minutes. The stout defense kept the Huskies within two points at halftime, despite allowing eight scattershot three-pointers, and trailing by as much as nine.

Coming out of the locker room, Northern Illinois refocused on defense. The Huskies stifled the Chippewas, who shot 3-of-17 over the first 11 minutes of the second half. The effort spent shutting down CMU allowed the Huskies to take a seven-point lead, 63-56, on a Wilcox three-pointer with 6:42 left. Central Michigan answered with a 7-0 burst to tie the game for the sixth time. On the next play, York hit an 18-foot step-back jump shot to give the Huskies the lead for good.

Though a dominant second-half defense drove the Huskie win, Northern Illinois' offense also set the bar for conference play high. Four players scored in double figures, while the Huskies hit 50 percent (8-of-16) of their shots from behind the arc, and 47.5 percent (29-of-61) overall from the field. Perhaps even more impressive, the Huskies did not commit a turnover for the final 5:18 of the game, after giving it away 23 times before that.

Shonda Long led the Chippewas with 17 points, 14 in the first half, and Brandie Baker, Angela Chan and Britni Houghton also scored in double figures for Central Michigan.

Northern Illinois will looks for the road sweep, Saturday, as the Huskies face Toledo at 2 p.m.