DeKALB - Hot second half shooting and relentless rebounding improved the NIU women's basketball team to 14-5 overall and 7-1 in Mid-American Conference play Wednesday night as  the Huskies defeated Kent State, 93-72. The Golden Flashes (10-10, 4-4 MAC) were held to a 30 percent field goal percentage as NIU amassed a season-high 57 rebounds in the game as six players reached double figures and combined for 87 points.

"We got back to pushing the pace in the third quarter and getting opportunities in transition and that's when we're at our best," said Head Coach Lisa Carlsen. "That's when we're going to make our push and make our run."

Northern Illinois University built a 29-point lead in the opening two minutes of the fourth quarter after a Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./ Kettle Moraine Lutheran) three-point basket. Voigt led NIU with 18 points and was one of four Huskies to dish at least three assists as well.

After Kent State opened as the game's aggressor, leading by as much as six with 3:50 left in the first, a 10-0 run by NIU that included six points on old fashioned three-point plays, overthrew Kent State's lead and kept the Huskies on top at the end of the frame, 20-19. 

Ally Lehman put the Huskies back in front with a pair of shots at the charity stripe with 2:08 remaining and gave Northern Illinois its biggest lead of the frame on the team's third three the hard way play.

The NIU stymied Kent State in the second quarter, holding the Golden Flashes to 11 points in the period and 4-of-20 from the field, including a nine-percent three-point field goal percentage on 1-of-11 shooting.

The Huskies best came after the halftime break as they scored 37 points in the frame, making 14 of their 21 attempts from the field, including 10-straight baskets with 6:13 remaining to 56 seconds left in the quarter.

With the torrid pace, NIU increased its lead from 11 points to 22 during the run and reached maximum efficiency, forcing the Golden Flashes to make substitutions and push them off balance.

"Anytime you have an offensive minded team and you get a couple of easy layups and you're starting to feel good, we did a good job of sharing the basketball and enjoying that pace," Carlsen added.

After summiting the 90-point plateau with just under four minutes left on a pair of free throws by Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic), the Golden Flashes attempted to close the gap with NIU's reserves on the floor but were unable to escape the 20-point deficit before the final horn sounded.

Cassidy Glenn (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds while recording three assists. The NIU sextet of Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead), Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. MArgaret's Anglican), Renee Sladek (Merrill, Wis./Merrill), Lehman, Poisson and Voigt all scored 10-or-more points and accounted for 94 percent of the team's scoring in the game.

NIU ended the game 30-for-68 from the field for a field goal percentage of 44 percent, dishing 18 assists in the game with seven in the third quarter alone.

Northern Illinois University will hit the road for Muncie, Ind., this weekend, taking on Ball State at Worthen Arena on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tipoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. Central. The game will air live on ESPN3 and can be heard WSQR 92.9FM/1180AM.