BUFFALO, N.Y. – With three players on no rest and three reserves on the bench, the NIU women's basketball team (17-6, 10-2 MAC) completed a five-point comeback in the fourth quarter with a 16-0 run to open the period as the Huskies defeated Buffalo (16-7, 6-6 MAC) at Alumni Arena, 89-80. The victory was NIU's sixth-straight on the road and its eighth of the year.

"(Staying out of foul trouble) was a really big key for us and told the team that in order to be successful today, we needed to stay out of foul trouble," said Head Coach Lisa Carlsen. "We knew weren't going to have a lot of players and some of those players weren't going to be able to come out of the game and I told them 'we need you on the floor for every possible minute' and they did a great job of not picking up anything cheap but still playing aggressive." 

Northern Illinois University forced two Buffalo timeouts on the run and registered 10-consecutive defensive stops, shooting 6-for-8 from the field with a pair of treys by Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's Anglican School) capping the run.

Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) led the Huskies with 29 points, 14 rebounds and five assists to register her 15th double-double of the season. Woods also notched a double-double with her 19-point, 10-rebound effort. Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran), who scored 13 points in the first half, finished with 17 while Kelly Smith was one board shy of her first double-double of the season with 14 points and nine boards.

The 29-point effort was her second 20-point game in as many outings, the first time in her career she'd ever accomplished the feat.

The Bulls and Huskies played at an even keel in the first half as both teams hit 16 shots from the field and registered similar numbers on the glass with UB owning a +1 margin, 21-20. The margin applied to the scoreboard as well in the half as Buffalo led after 20 minutes, 39-38.

NIU outscored the Bulls in the paint 20-8 in the first half, including a 14-2 clip in the second quarter as Voigt attacked the Bulls post players and found the basket through the trees.

A fast start to the third period by Buffalo gave UB an eight-point edge with 8:30 remaining, 48-40, but a 20-17 advantage by the Huskies to close the period lifted the squad within five entering the period, 65-60.

NIU's 16-0 run in the period was capped by a 9-for-12 field goal rate, a 2-of-3 clip behind the arc and nine makes in 10 attempts at the free throw line, forcing Buffalo to take nine three-point attempts in the period. The Bulls did not convert their shots behind the arc in the fourth quarter after shooting 8-of-18 in the first three periods.

The victory at Alumni Arena was NIU's first since Feb. 12, 2011, when the Huskies won in overtime, 61-53. The Huskies finished 22-of-26 from the free throw line during the afternoon, attempting of their shots in the second, third and fourth quarters.

Northern Illinois University will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 15 when it takes on Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. Central. The game will air live on ESPN3.