Final Stats

DeKALB - Consistent shooting and constant defensive pressure pushed the NIU women's basketball team (12-15, 8-9 MAC) past Toledo (17-11, 10-7 MAC) on Wednesday afternoon as the Huskies defeated the Rockets, 68-64. NIU caused 19 takeways to outscore Toledo, 23-10, on turnover opportunities while Amanda Corral (Hobart, Ind./Hobart) scored 19 of her 25 points in the second half.

Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) scored 13 points with seven assists while Jenna Thorp (Hinckley, Ill./Hinckley-Big Rock) added 10 points. In their final regular season game at the NIU Convocation Center, the senior class combined for 44 points to improve the Huskies to 9-3 at home this season.

"I'm so proud of this basketball team. How we've stayed together and how we fought with the numbers we have, I'm just so proud of them. We had two kids play 40 minutes. I think Toledo was one heck of a hot team to play today and to play as hard as we did and get this win, means a lot to us. I'm excited about what the future holds," said Head Coach Kathi Bennett.

The Huskies opened the first half with precision offensively as they made 10 of their first 20 shots in the opening 12 minutes of the game. NIU built an 11-point lead with 7:29 left in the first period and maintained a double-digit lead for most of the half until the Rockets ended the stanza on a 10-2 run.

NIU survived Toledo's late push and would enter the halftime locker room with a 30-28 lead. Lehman led the Huskies in scoring in the half with nine points. Playing in their final regular season game at the NIU Convocation Center, the Huskie seniors combined for 19 points in period. Both Corral and Thorp scored six points.

The Rockets started the second half with the same energy it ended with in the first half as they traded leads with NIU to start the period. However, the Huskie defense quelled Toledo's advance in the period as it again took an 11-point lead with 6:33 remaining, 60-49.

The Huskies and the Rockets traded a few more baskets before Toledo made one last push at a comeback, making it a one-possession game with 59 seconds left as Sophie Reecher hit two free throws, 64-61. Lehman responded with two shots at the charity stripe to put the Huskies back up by five with 51 seconds left.

A confident Inma Zanoguera sank a three-pointer seven seconds later to bring it back to a one possession game as the Huskies then led, 66-64, with 44 seconds left. Winding the clock down, Lehman missed a three-pointer with 16 seconds left to give the Rockets the go-ahead shot with little time remaining.

The NIU defense locked up Zanoguera, forcing the Rockets to move to Ana Capotosto, who took the shot with eight seconds left and pushed the ball wide right of the basket and rim to give the Huskies the ball back with four seconds left. Corral finished with two more points at the free throw line to seal the Huskies ninth win of the home regular season, 68-64.

Corral was 7-of-8 from the field in the second half, scoring 19 points to lead NIU. She finished with 25 points, seven rebounds and four assists. It was the fourth-straight game against the Rockets she scored at leats 20 points. As a team, NIU dished 19 assists in the game. The NIU defense limited Toledo to seven helpers in the game. Offensively, the Huskies shot over 46 percent both halves to finish with a .474 average (27-for-57).

Zanoguera led Toledo with 18 points while Reecher had 13 points and seven rebounds.

Northern Illinois University will await the result of tonight's Central Michigan-Ball State to see if the Huskies will host the Chippewas in the First Round of the Mid-American Conference Tournament.

NIU will close the regular season Saturday at Western Michigan. Tipoff is scheduled 1 p.m. Central at University Arena.