Final Stats

PEORIA - Four different NIU scorers reached double-digits Tuesday night at Bradley (1-10) as the Huskies (4-6) closed their non-conference season in strong fashion, defeating the Braves, 67-54.

Amanda Corral (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) led the Huskies with 18 points, followed by Danny Pulliam’s (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) 16 point night. Renee Sladek (Merrill, Wis./Merrill) and Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) each scored 10 with Lehman adding 11 rebounds for NIU’s first double-double of the season.

Defensively, NIU extended its streak to seven-straight games with an opponent under 60 points, forcing the 22 Bradley takeaways. 23 of the Braves 54 points came from the free throw line as they shot 29.5 percent (13-for-44) from the field.

“I thought we were a little sloppy the last 10 minutes of the game but I thought we played a great game. It was great to see our post players really get going with their high-low action,” said Head Coach Kathi Bennett. “Overall, our passing was the best I’ve seen it this year and I thought we had some really good chemistry from an offensive standpoint and that really created for us.”

The Huskies played a complete opening half as it was 16-for-30 (.530) from the field and outscored the Braves, 29-13, in the final 12:39 of the half. Defensively, the Huskies forced 12 turnovers and scored 20 points off of those takeaways.

NIU’s offensive output was its highest in a first half this season as Pulliam and Corral both reached double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. The Huskies distributed 11 assists in the stanza as well.

A quick 5-0 run to start the second half gave the Huskies a 17-point lead as Pulliam converted a layup and Corral nailed a three-pointer to put NIU up, 47-30.

The Huskies presence in the paint was a large part of their success on the night as they scored a season-high 38 points in the paint.

Though Bradley tried to close the scoring gap, NIU continued to hold a double-digit lead in the period and built its way to a 19-point lead with 5:34 left as Pulliam sunk two-free throws to put the Huskies on top, 64-45.

With a jumpshot in the paint at 3:34 left, Lehman recorded the Huskies first double-double of the season, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds. She also dished five assists in the game.

Freshman Georgia Breunig (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie), who suffered injury during preseason, made her collegiate debut against the Braves as she dished two assists in six minutes. Alex Dumoulin (Hampshire, Ill./Elgin CC) returned to the NIU lineup tonight, scoring two points in four minutes after suffering injury Nov. 20 versus Valparaiso.

Bradley’s Whitney Tinjum scored a game-high 28 points, going 14-for-14 from the free throw line.

The Huskies will open Mid-American Conference play Saturday afternoon when it hosts Eastern Michigan at the NIU Convocation Center. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m.