THE NEED TO KNOW
NIU (11-4, 4-0 MAC) at Toledo (12-3, 3-1 MAC)
Toledo, Ohio (Savage Arena)
Tipoff: Saturday, January 14, 1 p.m. CT
Video: ESPN3
Radio: WSQR 92.9 FM/1190 AM

MATCHUP DETAILS
NIU trails Toledo in the all-time series, 31-18; NIU trails in Toledo, 19-5

FREE THROWS
• NIU women's basketball is No. 2 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 91.1 points per game, 1.5 points shy of national leader Baylor, and have scored at least 80 points 14 times this season.
• Northern Illinois University and Kent State exchanged 14 ties and 17 lead changes on Wednesday night. NIU last traded double figures leads and ties versus Toledo last season at the Convocation Center.
• The 98-97 triumph at Kent State was NIU'S 20th one-point win in program history and the first since March 7, 2012 versus Akron in the Second Round of the MAC Tournament.
• NIU has now overcome deficits of 12-points twice this season, last doing so versus Milwaukee. Head Coach Lisa Carlsen has guided the Huskies to five comebacks of 10-or-more in the last two seasons.
• For the eighth time this season, Northern Illinois University registered five-or-more scorers in double figures during Wednesday win at KSU. Six different Huskies are averaging 10-or-more points.
• NIU is flawless in its first four conference games since 1993-94 when NIU finished 18-0 in the Mid-Continent Conference. The Huskies have never started 3-0 as a member of the MAC.
• Entering the game ninth in the country in assists per game (7.1), Ally Lehman leads the top-11 distributors in the country in rebounding (10.7) and ranks third in scoring (16.8).
• Lehman became the fastest player in NIU history to reach 100 assists in a season and just the third Huskie in program history to reach the century mark three times in a career.

ALL-AMERICA ALLY LEHMAN
• Though 2017 is in its infancy and the NCAA basketball season is only a third of the way through, no point guard has been as prolific as Ally Lehman this season.
• As a passer, Lehman has dished eight-or-more assists seven times and at least five 13 times.
• On the glass, she's pulled down 10-or-more rebounds on nine occasions and has registered 10 double-doubles through 15 games.
• The Nineveh, Ind., native is ninth in the country in assists per game at 7.1, totaling 107 helpers. She is also sixth in the country in assist-turnover ratio with a clip of 3.15.
• Amongst her peers at the top of assist leaders table, Lehman leads all players in rebounding (10.7) and is third in scoring (16.8), ranking 13th and 93rd nationally, respectively.
• She is the only player in the country averaging seven-or-more assists with two triple-doubles. The only player on that list with a triple-double this season is UCLA's Jordin Canada.
• In the latest Mid-American Conference statistical report, Lehman ranked amongst the top-15 in the MAC in 10-of-13 statistical categories.
• Her 48-points against Milwaukee, tied for the most in Mid-American Conference history, still stands as the second-highest ranked total in Division I this season while her 21 rebounds that same night is the sixth-best.
• Lehman's 40-20 performance was just the fourth such game in NCAA Division I since 2009-10.
• Off the court, the senior has taken an oath to eight years of military service, where she will begin training at Fort Benning to become an infantry officer in the United States Army.
• She is coming off a 15 point, nine rebound and eight assist night against the Golden Flashes,
• She became the fastest player in program history to reach 100 assists as well at Kent State, besting the 16-game pace set by Denise Dove in 1988-89, Stephanie Raymond in 2006-07 and Amanda Reese in 1996-97, respectively.
• She also became just the third player to record three seasons in triple figures for assists, joining Reese and former All-American E.C. Hill.

SOME OF THE NUMBERS FROM KENT
• As a team, NIU posted a Lisa Carlsen era best shooting percentage of .563, going 36-of-64 from the field.
• In an obscure paradox, the Huskies shot 71 percent from the field in the first half but trailed the Golden Flashes, 54-53.
• Only Ally Lehman finished the game with a field goal percentage below 50 percent for NIU, shooting a respectable 6-of-13 (.462).
• Janae Poisson scored a season-best 27 points off the bench, the highest total by a non-starter since a 24-point afternoon by Amanda Corral on Nov. 26, 2014 at Eastern Illinois.
• NIU closed the night with 22 assists in the game with Lehman and Courtney Woods both dishing eight in the game, a new career-high for the Brisbane, Australia native.
• Lehman played all 40 minutes of the game, becoming the first Huskie since Mikayla Voigt on Feb. 24, 2016 at Western Michigan. The senior has played 40-or-more minutes four times, including twice this season.
• Both teams traded a combined 17 leads and 14 ties, including 10 leads in the second quarter alone. The Huskies had not traded double-digits leads and ties in a game since Feb. 27, 2016 versus Toledo, an 89-83 overtime loss to the Rockets.
• Northern Illinois University finished 17-for-19 at the free throw line, hitting its final 14 shots.

STARTING OUT ON THE GOOD FOOT
• NIU has gotten off to its best start ever as a member of the Mid-American Conference with a 4-0 record.
• The Huskies last opened conference play undefeated in 1993-94 as a member of the Mid-Continent Conference when they ran the table to a perfect 18-0 record.
• A large part of Northern Illinois University's success has been its ability to attack the basket and draw fouls as NIU has earned 100 trips in the last four games including a season-best 35 versus Ohio.
• NIU's first half play has been key as well, outscoring its foes by an average of 14 points (46-34) while shooting .500 from the field and only allowing 6.3 turnovers.
• Courtney Woods has been a catalyst for the Huskies offensively in the opening 20 minutes, averaging 10.5 points and shooting .467 from the field and at a .444 clip behind the arc.
• Bucking historical trends as well, NIU had not won at Bowling Green since 2004 until last week and just earned its third-ever win at Toledo.
• The Huskies also had not beaten Ohio, the two-time reigning MAC Champion, in their last three attempts.
• The 2016-17 Huskies are the fastest team to 10 wins (14 games) since the 2005-06 team, who also reached the mark in 14 games.

POISSON'S BIG NIGHT
• Freshman Janae Poisson led the Huskies with 27 points off the bench Wednesday night, scoring 12 points in the second quarter and 15 in the fourth, to help NIU past Kent State, 98-97.
• The performance which included 9-of-17 shooting from the field and a flawless 5-for-5 clip at the charity stripe.
• Her performance was the highest total off the bench since Amanda Corral scored 24 at Eastern Illinois on Nov. 26, 2014.
• Poisson's performance was also the first 20-point game by a freshman since Courtney Woods scored 21 points at Ball State last season.
• In addition, Poisson's 27 points were the most by a freshman since at least 2001 when Jennifer Youngblood scored 26 versus Western Michigan on Feb. 24, 2001.
• Including Poisson's game on Wednesday night, the 20-point plateau has only been reached six times since 2011-12 by NIU freshmen.

THE VERY DEFINITION OF #MACTION
• With an 11-4 start to the season, the MAC is starting to take notice of what NIU women's basketball is all about.
• Northern Illinois University has averaged 90 points and 18.8 assists in its four conference games, paced by a 98-point and 22-assist night at Kent State on Wednesday.
• The Huskies lead the MAC in points per game and are No. 2 in the country at 91.1.
• On the season, NIU has averaged 16.4 assists per outing, the third-best distribution clip in the conference.
• Behind the arc, Northern Illinois also leads the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (38.5) while also ranking in the top-15 nationally.
• In 12 of the team's first 15 games, four-or-more players have reached double figures in a game, including five-or-more Huskies eight times.
• The Huskies are averaging 81 possessions per game in its first 15 games. NIU recorded a season-high 114 possessions in a double overtime victory over the Panthers.

GETTING SOME LOVE
• On Jan. 3, the NIU women's basketball team received its first point in the College Basketball Insider Mid-Major Top-25 poll.
• The following week, the Huskies improved to six points in the poll as it defeated then-No. 6 Ohio, 88-80.
• The Mid-American Conference has four team's ranked in this week's poll, led by the Bobcats at No. 8. Central Michigan broke through the top-25 this week at No. 19 while Buffalo (12th) and Toledo (23rd) also appear in the rankings.
• Western Michigan is also receiving votes alongside the Huskies, earning 10 points.

THE COMEBACK KIDS
• With 45 seconds left in the third quarter at Kent State Wednesday night, the NIU women's basketball team found itself in a 12-point hole, 78-66.
• A pair of free throws with 0.9 left by Janae Poisson were the catalyst for the Huskies play in the fourth quarter as they charged toward their second double figures comeback of the season.
• Just 2:49 into the fourth quarter, NIU took its first lead of the second half and took its final with 3:06 remaining in the game, though the Golden Flashes did their best to reclaim the lead.
• Northern Illinois University outscored KSU in the final period, 30-19, to take the contest, 98-97.
• The rally to victory was NIU's second 12-point comeback of the season, last recording the feat in an 114-104 double overtime win over Milwaukee at the Convocation Center on Nov. 16.
• In the last two seasons under Head Coach Lisa Carlsen, the Huskies have overcome five double-digit deficits.
• The Huskies' senior class - Cassidy Glenn, Amber Gray and Ally Lehman - have posted seven comebacks of 10-or-more points in the last four years with at least one each season.
• During the four season stretch of 2006-10, NIU overcame 10-points deficits nine times.

DISHING DIMES AND THE RAMIFICATIONS
• Last time out, the Huskies dished 22 assists as a team, their second 20 helper effort of the season.
• Eight games ago, NIU distributed 23 assists against Bradley.
• In both instances, Northern Illinois University shot over .500 from the field.
• The team closed the game with a 56.3 shooting percentage, the best single-game clip in the last two seasons under Lisa Carlsen.
• Two Huskies - Ally Lehman and Courtney Woods - paved the way as both players finished with eight assists, a new career-high for Woods and the seventh game for Lehman with eight-or-more assists this season.
• No NIU duo has registered 10 assists in a game since Denise Dove and Gena Stubbs recorded the feat at Minnesota Dec. 17, 1988.
• Stubbs set the program's single-game record with 14 assists that night while Dove, the Huskies leader in career assists (526), dished 10 versus the Golden Gophers.

ONE-POINT WINS
• With the triumph at Kent State on Wednesday night, the Huskies improved to 20-22 all-time in one-point games.
• It was the first one-point victory by NIU since a Kim Davis putback with under 10 seconds propelled the Huskies past Akron in the Second Round of the MAC Tournament, 61-60.
• Head Coach Lisa Carlsen is 1-0 at NIU in one-point contests.

ROAD WARRIORS
• NIU is 5-3 on the road this season and has won its last three road games, its longest such streak since 2003.
• The five wins on the road are the most since 2011-12.
• Entering Saturday's game, Northern Illinois University is 5-19 at Toledo, last winning in Savage Arena Jan. 10, 2007.
• If Northern Illinois improves its road winning streak to four, it would be the program's longest unbeaten stretch on the road since 1995.

EVERYONE LOVES THE 90'S
• While the conversation could involve grunge music, flannel and the latest on Seinfeld, discourse is strictly limited to the Huskies and their ability to score the basketball right now.
• For the sixth time this season and the first game since Dec. 17 versus SIUE, NIU scored 90-or-more points as it dropped 98 points, its third-best total of the season.
• The Huskies are 6-0 when scoring 90-or-more points this season.
• On the season, NIU is averaging 91.1 points per game, the second-best clip in the country behind Baylor's 92.6 point average.

A SEASON-LOW EQUALLED A SEASON-HIGH
• For the first time all season, NIU attempted fewer than 60 shots in a game as it went 26-for-59 (.441) against the Bobcats last Saturday.
• The Huskies previous season-low was 65 at Bradley on Dec. 2.
• However, NIU set a new season-high in trips to the free throw line with 35 against Ohio, besting its previous high of 34 against Milwaukee on Nov. 16.
• As a team, Northern Illinois finished 31-for-35 at the free throw line, also a season-best in makes. Courtney Woods finished 11-for-14 at the charity stripe.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
• Toledo is 12-3 this season with a 3-1 clip in Mid-American Conference contests. The Rockets have won their last three games after dropping its conference opener at Ball State, 51-45.
• The team's only other losses were at the hands of UCLA (75-73) and Notre Dame (85-68).
• As a team, Toledo leads the MAC in assists per game with 17.9 while averaging 73.2 points and a .425 field goal percentage.
• Mikaela Boyd, who is second on the team in scoring with 11.4 points per game, leads the Rockets in rebounds (6.7) and assists (4.8) per game while Jay-Ann Bravo-Harriott leads the team with 12.4 points per game.
• Defensively, Toledo has held its opponents to 58 points per game, limiting its conference foes to .338 clip from the field. The Rockets are also forcing 22.5 turnovers.

TREYS FOR DAYS
• As a team, NIU is sixth in the Mid-American Conference in three-point field goal attempts with 327.
• However, the Huskies are third in makes with 126 to rank 35th in the country and are first in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage and No. 13 nationally.
• Cassidy Glenn leads the conference in three-point field percentage with a clip of .452, hitting 28 of her 62 shots.
• Meanwhile, teammate Courtney Woods is second in the MAC in makes with 46, averaging 3.1 per game, which also puts her 36th in the NCAA this season.

WE ARE WHO WE ARE - NO IDENTITY CRISIS
• The Huskies equal scoring all season has been a big part of the team's success to start the year.
• NIU has had four-or-more players with 10 points-or-more in a game 12 times this season and five-or-more hit the mark eight times.
• Second nationally in average points (91.1), all five of the Huskies starters – Cassidy Glenn, Ally Lehman, Kelly Smith, Mikayla Voigt Courtney Woods – are averaging double figures while substitute Janae Poisson is averaging 11.1 points per game off the bench.

QUALITY AND QUANTITY FROM THE FIELD
• When it comes to shooting the basketball, the Huskies have been rather consistent with the number of shots they take per game.
• Averaging 72.4 field goal attempts per game, NIU has taken 70-or-more shots 10 times and reached the 80-shot plateau three times.
• However, the efficiency at which the Huskies have shot has been most outstanding as they have shot over 40 percent 14 times and surpassed 45 percent eight times.
• Twice this season, the Huskies have shot over 50 percent from the field, first reaching the mark in a 108-66 win over Illinois State on Nov. 26 and most recently at Kent State last Wednesday with a season-best .563 shooting percentage. The Huskies opened the game with a 71 field goal percentage in the first half.
• NIU has scored at least 80 points 14 times this season and reached the century mark twice.
• Prior to this season, the Huskies last scored 100 points in a game in March 1996.

NEXT UP
• The Huskies will return home for its next three games, opening the homestand versus Akron.
• Wednesday's tipoff at the Convocation Center is set for 11 a.m. Central for Education Day.