Final Stats

NIU 68, ISU 59 

MOLINE, Illinois - After trailing 5-2 in the opening two minutes of the game, the NIU women’s basketball team (4-3) went on a 14-0 run and never looked back as the Huskies shot 44 percent - including a 40 percent clip behind the arc - to defeat Illinois State (1-7) in the MVC-MAC Challenge finale, 68-59.

“Our defense for the most part was very good throughout the game and our intensity was good right out of the locker room. Those spurts that we had tonight start by knocking down a couple of shots and when you do that, you can be a little more relaxed on the offensive end. Usually good things happen after that,” said Head Coach Lisa Carlsen.

Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) recorded her fourth double-double of the season - the most by a Huskie since Natecia Augusta’s four in 2013-14 - as she led the Huskies with 16 points, 11 rebounds and a career-high four blocks. Tying her career-high with 15 points, Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) converted a three-point shot in her seventh-straight game.

Cassidy Glenn (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) tied her career-high with 12-points, going 5-for-7 from the field and a perfect 2-for-2 behind the arc. Glenn also dished a career-high four points, sharing the lead with Lacia Gorman (Fort Wayne, Ind./Wayne) who also added four points and four rebounds. Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) finished two points shy of a double-double, recording 11 rebounds and eight points.

After trailing 5-2 early in the opening stanza, the Huskies scored 14-unanswered points and closed the quarter on a 16-4 run to lead 18-9 after 10 minutes. The NIU defense held the Redbirds to 2-of-13 from the field (.154) while shooting .529 (9-of-17) on its own basket.

NIU was 5-for-12 behind the three point line in the game and accounted for six blocks in the game, giving the Huskies 31 in the past four contests.

NIU would close the first half with its second 12-point lead of the half, 32-20, as Lehman took over in the period, going 3-of-4 from the field that included a trey, to become the first player in the game to reach double figures on the scoreboard. She finished the half with 12 points and seven rebounds.

Voigt complimented Lehman in the period, adding five points in the frame as she hit a jumper to put NIU back on top by eight points, forcing an ISU timeout with 5:44 left. She drained the Huskies final shot of the first half with 13 seconds left, recording a steal on the Redbirds half the court and sprinting through the middle of the court to the paint giving the Huskies the 12-point lead on a kissed glass layup.

After the intermission, the Huskies were aggressive under the basket on both ends of the floor as they blocked five shots in the period - including three from Lehman - and scored eight points in the paint. However, that did not deter the Redbirds offensively as they outscored the Huskies in the period, 16-11.

Leading 43-36 entering the fourth quarter, three treys in three minutes by the Huskies - two by Voigt and one by Glenn - pushed the NIU lead back up to 12 and started a 12-0 run that put NIU back on top, 58-40.

The Huskies continued to attack offensively, going up by 22-points on a three-pointer by Georgia Brewing (Sauk Prairie, Wis./Sauk Prairie) with 2:55 left, and limited the Redbirds offensive output to Octavia Crump. The ISU senior finished with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting.

Illinois State would close the gap to nine points with 16 seconds left but Northern Illinois University would claim its fourth win of the season, 68-59.

NIU will return to action Wednesday night when it heads to Wisconsin for a showdown with the Badgers. Tipoff between Huskies and UW is set for 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center. The game can be viewed on BTN Plus.