THE NEED TO KNOWS
NIU (5-3) vs SIUE (3-6)
DeKalb, Ill. (NIU Convocation Center)
Tipoff: Friday, December 16, 2016 (7 p.m.)
Video: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 98.9 FM/1360 AM
Live Stats: NIUHuskies.com

MATCHUP DETAILS
NIU leads SIUE in the all-time series, 5-3; leads in DeKalb, 4-1

FREE THROWS
• NIU women's basketball leads the nation in scoring offense, averaging 92.6 points per game. The Huskies have scored 90-or-more points four times, a feat last accomplished in 1994-95 (five times).
• The NIU offense is averaging 80.9 possessions per game and 1.15 points per possession.
• The Huskies have outscored their foes 197-151 in the third quarter. Iowa State was just the second team to outscore NIU in the period and the first do so by more than one point.
• Ally Lehman became the 28th member of NIU's 1,000-point club versus the Cyclones and also became just the 10th player in Mid-American Conference history to record 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in a career.
• Following an impressive 16-for-18 day at the free throw line at ISU, the Huskies moved up to No. 3 nationally in free throw percentage at a clip of 81 percent. Iowa State leads the country at 84.7.
• The team scoring trend continued versus the Cyclones as NIU had five players score 10-or-more points, the fifth time the team has registered the feat.
• Senior Ally Lehman recorded her second triple-double of the season at Bradley on Dec. 2, becoming the first player in the NCAA this season and the 19th since 2009-10 to record multiple triple-doubles in a season. No Huskie has ever reached the milestone twice in a season or a career.

QUICK RECAP - IOWA STATE
• NIU closed a three-game road trip in Ames, Iowa last Sunday, taking on Iowa State at Hilton Coliseum.
• The Huskies and Cyclones exchanged 10 leads, including six in the second quarter, as Northern Illinois trailed Iowa State by two points at halftime, 45-43.
• ISU outscored the Huskies in the third quarter, 27-17, as it built a 16-point lead in the period.
• Northern Illinois University decreased the margin with a perfect clip at the free-throw line in the period, 8-of-8, and forced Iowa State to take poor shots with its swarming defense.
• Mikayla Voigt, who scored seven points in the quarter to lead NIU, hit two free throws with 32.5 seconds left in regulation to close the gap to one possession, 92-89.
• However, the Huskies were forced to foul Iowa State, the nation's leader in free throw percentage, who sealed the victory, 97-89.
• Five different Huskies scored in double figures while Ally Lehman recorded her fifth double-double of the season and reached the 1,000-point club.
• NIU outrebounded ISU, 46-44, despite a two-inch size disparity in the starting lineup.

LEHMAN LATEST FEAT
• Senior Ally Lehman became the Huskies latest initiate into the 1,000 point club as she reached the milestone with NIU's first basket in the third quarter at Iowa State.
• She is the 28th player in NIU history to reach the benchmark.
• Already a member of the Huskies 600-rebound and 250-assists clubs, in which there are only 17 and 18 members, respectively, Lehman is only the 10th player in Mid-American Conference history to record at least 1,000 points, 700 rebounds and 300 assists in her career.
• Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford (2011-15) and Toledo Inma Zanoguera (2011-15) were the last players to record such numbers in their careers.

MENTOR VERSUS MENTEE
• For the second time in as many seasons, NIU will take on Southern Illinois University Edwardsville.
• Head Coach Lisa Carlsen started her basketball coaching career at Omaha in 1998 as an assistant coach under SIUE's current Head Coach Paula Buscher.
• Carlsen assisted Buscher for two seasons before taking over the reigns of the program prior to the 2000 season as Buscher left to coach at Bradley.
• The Huskies and the Cougars met in last season's opener, also Carlsen's coaching debut at NIU, with SIUE triumphing, 93-67.
• The Ohio Valley Conference's preseason's favorite last season, the Cougars finished third with a 12-4 record in conference play.

THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS
• Through eight games this season, the Huskies have outscored their opponents 81-27 in fast break opportunities, holding their foes scoreless four times.
• Bradley was the last team to go scoreless on the break as NIU registered 21 points on Dec. 2.
• Only Western Illinois has outscored the Huskies in that category as the Leathernecks scored a season-high 13 points to NIU's six.

THE HUSKIES AND THE LAND OF LINCOLN
• Southern Illinois University Edwardsville will be the sixth foe on the Northern Illinois University schedule from the state of Illinois.
• So far this season, the Huskies have posted a 4-1 record against opponents from the Land of Lincoln.
• The four wins are tied for the most by any Division I school in Illinois. Western Illinois also has four wins versus in-state foes.
• NIU finished 4-1 last season against Illinois teams in Lisa Carlsen's first season, falling only to SIUE in the season opener.
• The Huskies last defeated five Division I teams from Illinois during the 2009-10 season.

SLADEK'S DEFENSIVE SUSTAINABILITY
• Undergoing a season-ending procedure at the start of Lisa Carlsen's first season in charge of NIU, sophomore Renee Sladek was forced to redshirt after appearing in 28 games and starting 27 starts in 2014-15.
• Since returning to the lineup this season, Sladek is averaging 3.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game in her eight appearances.
• Though her numbers offensively are under her previous marks as a freshman, the Merrill, Wis. native owns the second-best plus/minus mark by any Huskie on the squad.
• Plus/minus (or +/-) is a measurement of points for versus points against while on the floor.
• Sladek boasts a +106 mark this season behind Ally Lehman's +123. When pro-rating her plus/minus over 40 minutes of play, Sladek leads the team with an average mark of 25.09, over 6.5 points higher than Lehman's average.
• Amongst the top six players on the roster in minutes played, Sladek owns the lowest points against total as NIU has only surrendered 316 points while scoring 422 while Sladek is on the floor.

NEXT UP
• The Huskies will hit the road for Kansas City, Mo., taking on reigning WNIT Champion South Dakota and UMKC in the Roo Holiday Classic Dec. 19 and 20.
• NIU and the Coyotes will tipoff Monday at 5:30 p.m., while the hosts and the Huskies will close the tournament at 3:30 p.m. Central.