THE NEED TO KNOWS
NIU (16-6, 9-2 MAC) at Buffalo (16-6, 6-5 MAC)
Buffalo, N.Y. (Alumni Arena)
Tipoff: Saturday, February 11, 1 p.m. Central
Video: ESPN3
Radio: WLBK 98.9 FM/1360 AM

FREE THROWS
• NIU women's basketball is No. 3 in the nation in scoring offense, averaging 88.3 points per game, two points shy of national leader Maryland, and have scored at least 90 points 10 times.
• The Huskies are the only team in the country with three players averaging over 16 points per game - Courtney Woods (17.5), Cassidy Glenn (16.6) and Ally Lehman (16.4) - and are one of only two teams (DePaul) in the country with five players averaging double figures.
• With a career-best tying 11-assist effort versus Central Michigan, Ally Lehman broke NIU's single-season and career record for 10-assist games with five and six, respectively.
• Lehman fell one rebound shy of triple-double against the Chippewas. She has come two rebounds and/or two assists short of triple-double five times this season.
• Northern Illinois University has overcome deficits of 10-points or larger four times this season and nine times in the last four years, the highest total by a four-year class at NIU in the last 12 years.
• With seven regular season games remaining, the Huskies scoring average is currently the second-best in Mid-American Conference history and highest clip since Toledo averaged 83.6 in 1996-97.
• The 2016-17 Huskies are only the seventh team in program history to record at least 15 wins in its first 21 games and are off to their best start in Mid-American Conference history at 9-1.
• Despite its loss to Central Michigan on Wednesday, Northern Illinois University enters the game tied for second place in the MAC with CMU, trailing Ball State by half a game in the standings.

POINTS AT A PREMIUM
• On Wednesday night, both NIU and Central Michigan combined for 203 points with the Chippewas registering their third 100-point game of the season, 109-94. All of said games have been wins in MAC play.
• It was the first time in over two decades that the Huskies had surrendered 100-points in regulation, falling to DePaul, 115-83, in Chick Evans Fieldhouse on Jan. 24, 1996.
• Of note as well, it was the first time since Feb. 10, 1996 against Cleveland State that Northern Illinois University lost a game scoring over 90-points when the Vikings defeated the Huskies in overtime, 94-92.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR
• Ally Lehman has been one of the nation's premier all-around players this season, ranking in the top-30 in rebounds and assists for most of the season while registering one of the highest scoring efforts of the season and notching two triple-doubles.
• However, Lehman has flirted in triple-double several times, coming up two rebounds and/or two assists short of the mark five times this season, including twice in the last three games.
• Lehman was one rebound short of the mark versus Central Michigan on Wednesday, recording 31 points, a career-high 11 assists and nine boards. 
• She was just two rebounds away at Ball State as she tallied 18 points, 11 dime and eight boards. Lehman also came up short at Kent State (Jan. 11) and versus Eastern Michigan (Dec. 31) and Chicago State (Nov. 22).
• Impressively though, of her 14 double-doubles this season, five of those have been of the points-assists variety as she set the single-season record for 10-assist games against the Chips on Wednesday. She also owns the career record with six.

FLASHING BACK TO 2016 #MACTION
• Trailing Buffalo, 74-73, with 3.9 seconds left in regulation on Jan. 29, 2016, the NIU women's basketball team ran one last play to try and snag victory from the Bulls or force overtime. • Cassidy Glenn inbounded the ball to Courtney Woods in front of the Huskies' bench, who worked the ball to the top of the arc with little success finding an open shot against the UB defenders in her face. • The Brisbane, Australia native kicked the ball back over to Glenn at her left, who quickly fired the ball to the net and sank the game-winning trey to lead the Huskies back from 12-point deficit, 76-74. • Glenn's shot appeared as the No. 4 play on SportsCenter's Top-10 that evening. • Six weeks later, the Bulls would be crowned Mid-American Conference Champions, upsetting No. 1 seed Ohio in the quarterfinals en route to a final triumph over CMU in overtime during the final, 73-71.

ROLLIN' ON TWENTIES WITH COURTNEY WOODS
• Over the last calendar year, Courtney Woods has been one of the Mid-American Conference's most consistent scorers.
• Fourth in the MAC and 67th nationally in points per game with a rate of 17.5 points per game, Woods notched her 10th game with 20-or-more points versus Western Michigan last Saturday.
• It was the 13th time she's reached the plateau in her last 28 games, in which, she has also scored in double figures 25 times.
• Woods' 10 performances are tied for the second-most in the MAC this season behind the conference's leading scorer Larissa Lurken (19) of Kent State and Ohio's Quiera Lampkins (10).
• Perhaps the most impressive part of her feat is that Woods has five other players around her averaging double-figures while Kent State and Ohio have a combined three players averaging 10-or-more points per game.
• She's the first Huskie since Stephanie Raymond in 2006-07 to record the feat at least 10 times in a season when the First Team All-MAC selection reached the mark 16 times.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE MACHINE
• In the last 52 games, senior Ally Lehman has recorded 29 double-doubles including two triple-doubles.
• Though the Huskies 22 outings this season, Lehman has recorded the feat 14 times, one shy of matching her mark of 15 during the 2015-16 campaign.
• The Nineveh, Ind., is seventh in the country and the only guard ranked in the top-30. 
• Nine times this season, Lehman registered a points-assist double-double while recording the accomplishment five times with points-assists, tying the program's record for 10-assist games in a season.
• With her diversity in reaching the double-double mark, she is sixth at NIU in career rebounds with 897 and is third all-time in assists with 474. 
• Lehman is 26 helpers shy of becoming just the second player in history to reach 500 dimes in a career and 103 boards from becoming the sixth Huskie - the first guard - to crash 1,000 boards.
• Lehman is 17th at NIU in scoring at 1,218 points.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
• Buffalo, who opened the season a perfect 10-0, is 16-6 so far with a 6-5 clip in Mid-American Conference games. 
• It was last in action on Feb. 4, hosting Kent State at Alumni Arena and downing the Golden Flashes, 85-63, as leading scorer JoAnna Smith went off for 31 points on 13-of-21 shooting.
• After opening MAC play with a 1-3 record, the Bulls won three-straight games, capped by triumph versus Central Michigan on Jan. 21, 67-56. Since then, UB is 2-2.
• Smith leads the team's offense with 16.6 points per game, taking almost a quarter of the team's field goal attempts this season. The Southaven, Miss., native has scored 20-or-more points 10 times.
• Running the team's offense is Stephanie Reid, who averages 9.3 points per game and is second in the Mid-American Conference in total assists with 156 helpers. 
• The Bulls home court - Alumni Arena - has been an advantage this season as they've won 10 of their 12 games, averaging over 1,200 fans per game.

THREE-POINT NIGHTMARES
• Opposing teams have had fits trying to stop the Huskies behind the three-point line this season as they rank 17th nationally in three-pointers per game (8.4), 18th in percentage (.378) and 38th in three-point field goals made (185).
• And though NIU ranks high in conversions, it is only 78th in total attempts with 490.
• However, it isn't just one player knocking down all the shots. Though Courtney Woods leads the team in three-point field goals (74) by a significant margin (36), both Cassidy Glenn and Mikayla Voigt have each made at least 38 treys with Voigt draining 36.
• Against the Broncos and Chippewas, both Woods and Glenn drained four baskets from the three-point line, the fifth and sixth time this season NIU has recorded the feat. The Huskies have exploited their foes four times in the last five games, including the last three contests.
• Northern Illinois is 4-2 when two different players each record four three-pointers in a game.

THE ROAD WARRIORS
• For the first time since 1993-94, NIU has won at least seven road games following its 101-96 triumph at Ball State last Saturday.
• The victory extended the Huskies streak to five-straight wins away from the Convocation Center, starting on Dec. 20 at UMKC.
• Their last three road games have been single-digit victories, including a one-point triumph on Jan. 11 at Kent State, 98-97.
• As a team, NIU has averaged 90.2 points per game in its last five road affairs, dishing 17.8 assists per game and shooting 49.5 percent.
• Though third on the team in scoring, Ally Lehman has scored 17.4 points per game during the team's road streak, two points more than the Huskies' leading scorer Courtney Woods.

GET TO THE LINE
• With 249 trips to the free throw line in the last 11 games, NIU has stuck to its game plan of attacking the rim and drawing fouls to average 85.1 points per outing
• The Huskies are 194-for-249 (.779) in MAC play.
• Versus the Golden Flashes on Jan. 11, they attempted a season-best 37 free throws, the most by NIU since shooting 44 versus SIU in 2009.
• During the team's win over Ohio, Northern Illinois University went to the line 35 times, converting a season-high 31 attempts.
• Averaging just under 23 attempts per game, the Huskies lowest free throw total was five in the team's loss to Akron, draining just one shot.However, the team rebounded with a 22-for-26 performance against Miami.
• NIU is No. 5 nationally in team free throw percentage with a 79.2 percent clip and 14th in free throws made with 370 this season (16.8/G).

TURNING DOWN THE VOLUME BUT STILL MAKING NOISE
• The Huskies enter the game with a season field goal attempts mean of 70.4 per game, however, the average has been on the decline in the last nine games, despite the team's 7-2 record.
• Twice in the last nine games, NIU has attempted fewer than 60 shots in a game, first shooting fewer than 60 on Jan. 7 versus Ohio, finishing 29-for-59 against the Bobcats (.441).
• The Huskies attempted fewer shots at Toledo when they were 27-for-56 from the field (.481).
• At Kent State, NIU shot a season-best 56 percent from the field in 64 attempts from the field, including 20 treys.
• For the first time since January 4 at Bowling Green, the Huskies raised its season field goal attempt average as they attempted 78 field goals in their comeback bid over CMU Wednesday. Northern Illinois has attempted 70-or-more shots 10 times this season.
• The Huskies have converted 30-or-more field goals 16 times in 2016-17.

THE VERY DEFINITION OF #MACTION
• With a 16-6 record, the MAC has taken notice of what NIU women's basketball is all about. The Huskies lead the MAC in points per game and are No. 3 in the country at 88.3.
• On the season, NIU has averaged 16.0 assists per outing, the third-best distribution clip in the conference. 
• Behind the arc, Northern Illinois is first in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage (37.8) while also ranking in the top-25 nationally.
• In 16 of the team's 22 games, four-or-more players have reached double figures, including five-or-more 10 times. Five different players are registering 10-or-more points per game. Only DePaul is accomplishing the feat in Division I this season.
• The Huskies are averaging 80.7 possessions per game and recorded a season-high 114 possessions in a double overtime victory over the Panthers.

NEXT UP
• The Huskies will return to the road on Wednesday, Feb. 15 when it takes on Miami University in a return game from Jan. 21.
• Tipoff at Millett Hall in Oxford, Ohio is slated for 6 p.m. Central. The game will air live on ESPN3.