DeKALB – Trailing by 12 points with 6:46 left in regulation, a 16-4 by NIU (18-7, 11-3 MAC) that held Ball State (18-8, 11-3 MAC) to just 3-of-16 shooting in the final quarter and tied the game 80-80 with 2:06 remaining. However, the Cardinals hit 10 of their final 11 free throws to keep the Huskies at bay and claim victory, 92-84.

Ally Lehman (Nineveh, Ind./Indian Creek) scored 17 of her 27 points on the afternoon in the fourth quarter, adding nine rebounds and four assists to her tally. Cassidy Glenn (New Lenox, Ill./Providence Catholic) pulled down 22 rebounds, the fourth-most in NIU history, and scored 15 points for her fourth double-double of the season. Kelly Smith (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) registered 17 points and seven rebounds.

Smith and Ball State's Renee Bennett went back and forth in the first six minutes of play as Smith accounted for 11 of NIU's first 16 points while Bennett scored the team's first seven. After a 16-16 tie at the first media break, BSU regained the lead and did not acquiesce the rest of the game despite NIU's chase.

With Bennett on the bench in foul trouble, the Cardinals built a 12-point lead with 7:25 left in the first half but a 12-2 run closed the gap to two five minutes later. After trading baskets, Ball State led by three at the half, 45-42.

Northern Illinois quickly found itself down by double figures as it shot 23 percent in the period to Ball State's 63 percent, giving the Cardinals a 14-point edge with 1:47 left in the period, 69-55.

NIU decreased the gap to nine points in opening seconds of the final quarter, making 5-of-6 shots at the free-throw line. A layup and an ensuing free throw by Lehman sparked the Huskies 16-4 run as Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) accounted for a quick steal and a layup on a trap play and knocked down a three-pointer 30 second later to bring the Huskies back within two possessions, 78-72.

Lehman then scored the next eight points with three layups and a pair at the charity stripe to tie it up, 80-80. A one-minute, 5-0 run by Ball State left 54 seconds remaining in the game and put NIU back in the chase again.

The Huskies created two great looks from behind the arc in the final minute, one by Woods and another by Glenn, but were unable to hit either shot.

"We got beat by a really good Ball State team and I thought we came out of the locker room in the second half a little sluggish and missing some shots that I think we normally knock down," said Head Coach Lisa Carlsen. 

"I think once we start playing from behind, I think that allows teams to be deliberate to try and slow us down but to these guys credit, I thought we did a nice job of staying locked in defensively and giving ourselves a chance to tie it or put us within a possession, especially down the stretch because I think that's something valuable for us as we move on down the road," she added.

Lehman's 27 points on the night marked the fourth-straight game she amassed 25 points-or-more, making her just the third Huskie to accomplish the feat alongside both Tammy Hinchee and Carol Owens in 1989-90.

NIU will return to action Wednesday when it heads to Mount Pleasant for a matchup with the Mid-American Conference leader Central Michigan on Wednesday, Feb. 22. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. Central. The game will air live on ESPN3.