DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University won consecutive games for the first time this season Monday night after a 78-59 victory over the Eastern Illinois Panthers at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies outscored the Panthers 30-13 in the third quarter to erase a three-point halftime deficit.
 
"I thought the second half was much better than the first," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "Defensively, we were able to string some stops together. We're a lot better in the open court when we can create space and share the basketball, and not have to play in the half court all the time."
 
Senior guard Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) led all scorers with 25 points and nine rebounds, going 5-for-9 from the three-point line. Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) had 16 points and six rebounds. Myia Starks (Oswego, Ill./Nequa Valley) had 13 points and four assists, making 5-of-8 shots from the field.
 
"I just try to let the game come to me, and I rely on teammates to get in the paint and kick the ball out to me," said Voigt, who has scored 77 points in NIU's last two wins. "They make it easy. Sometimes all I have to do is catch and shoot."
 
After Voigt made back-to-back threes to put NIU up 6-4 early, Eastern Illinois (4-5) went on a 12-0 run started by a Jennifer Nehls three-point play to take a 16-6 lead with 4:27 to go. The Huskies came back with a 7-2 run to end the quarter. A Nikitinaite three-point play with 0:41 to play in the first got NIU within five, 18-13.
 
The run continued into the second quarter. Sparked by four points from Starks, the Huskies opened the second on an 8-2 run in the first 3:49 as an Abby Woollacott (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) layup gave NIU the lead 21-20. The Panthers regained the lead with 5:28 to play in the half, as a Grace Lennox three sparked a 10-4 Eastern Illinois run that put the visitors ahead 30-25. The Huskies closed the gap to three by halftime on a Starks jumper that made the score 32-29.
 
"I was just trying to have fun," Starks said. "I thought in the beginning of the game we were a little tense. I was like 'it's basketball. It's supposed to be fun.' I just went out there and played how I usually played. The coaches put us in good spots with the offense, and we got good looks."
 
NIU (6-4) used a 12-0 run in the third quarter to take back the lead. Trailing 39-35 with 7:04 to go, Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) started the rally with a pair of free throws. Nikitinaite and Starks then made baskets to give the Huskies a 41-39 lead 6:01 to play. Voigt closed the run with the last six points, making a three-pointer and converting a three-point play to put NIU up 47-39 with 4:54 remaining. The lead grew to double-digits when a Woollacott layup sparked another 12-0 run that put NIU ahead 59-41 with 1:14 remaining. Voigt and Nikitinaite each had a three in that run. All told, NIU outscored Eastern Illinois 30-13 in the quarter, holding the Panthers to 3-for-13 from the field.
 
The Huskies grew their lead to 20 with 7:43 left in the game as a Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) three-pointer made the score  65-45. NIU took its largest lead of the game with 5:13 to play when a three by Ninni Salmi (Kauhajoki, Finland/San Francisco) put the Huskies ahead 74-51.
 
"The next person up mentality on our team is strong," said Carlsen. "I think we have people who have taken on that responsibility and are making sure our goals don't change. Just because there may be different uniforms out there for more extended minutes, it doesn't mean we're going to sell ourselves short going forward. The more confident and the more comfortable we get with the players we have on the floor right now, I think we're going to continue to get better and grow into those roles."
 
NIU shot 42.9 percent from the field and 80 percent at the foul line. The Huskies held the Panthers to 33.9 percent from the field for the game after the Panthers shot 53.3 percent in the fourth quarter. NIU outrebounded Eastern Illinois 41-39, and committed just 11 turnovers to the Panthers' 16. Karle Pace led Eastern Illinois with 22 points.
 
The Huskies are back in action Friday, Dec. 21 at the Convocation Center against Chicago State. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. Tickets for Friday's game, as well as all remaining NIU women's basketball games, are on sal now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets.
 
--NIU--