GAME INFO
Eastern Michigan (10-19, 6-12) - NIU (15-14, 7-11)
Date: Monday, March 5, 2018
Time: 6 PM CT
Location: DeKalb, Ill. • Convocation Center
TV: ESPN3
Radio: WSQR 92.9 FM & 1180 AM
 
MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
NIU is 11-20 in its 20-year MAC Tournament history, including a 2-2 mark under Lisa Carlsen. NIU's best performance in the tournament came last season when Carlsen led NIU to the MAC Championship Game. The Huskies fell to Toledo, 82-71, in that contest.
 
                                            MAC                                                          Last
NIU vs…                    Tournament         2017-18           Tournament Meeting
Akron                                  2-0                      1-0              W, 61-60; Mar. 7, 2012
Ball State                            0-4                      0-2             L, 61-47; Mar. 12, 2014
Bowling Green                  0-1                      1-0                L, 73-61; Mar. 8, 2006
Buffalo                                1-1                      1-0                L, 56-46; Mar. 9, 2013
Central Michigan              1-3                      0-2                L, 49-44; Mar. 9, 2015
Eastern Michigan             1-1                      1-1      W, 81-76 OT; Mar. 10, 2014
Kent State                          1-1                      2-0             L, 75-68; Mar. 10, 2008
Marshall                             0-1                        --                 L, 70-58; Mar. 8, 2003
Miami (Ohio)                     1-2                      0-2                L, 67-66; Mar. 6, 2010
Ohio                                    1-1                      0-1              W, 72-71; Mar. 8, 2017
Toledo                                1-4                      1-1             L, 82-71; Mar. 11, 2017
Western Michigan            2-1                      0-2            W, 83-55; Mar. 10, 2017
 
FIRST THINGS FIRST
The Huskies are 6-14 mark in first round games, including a 2-4 mark in game in DeKalb. NIU is hosting a first round game for the first time since March 9, 2015. The then-No. 8 seed Huskies fell to No. 9 seeded Central Michigan, 49-44. NIU's last win in a first round game was Mar. 10, 2014 when the Huskies defeated Eastern Michigan, 81-76, in overtime in Ypsilanti, Mich.
 
CLEVELAND ROCKS
Since 2001, the Huskies have advanced to Cleveland for the quarterfinals of the MAC Tournament four times in years the first round games were held on campus sites. NIU is 8-9 in Quicken Loans Arena.
 
TOURNAMENT EXPERIENCE
The Huskies have five players on its active roster with MAC Tournament experience. Kelly Smith has the most, playing in five games, averaging10 points and 5.6 rebounds a game. Courtney Woods averages 11.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in four MAC Tournament games and Mikayla Voigt averages nine points in four conference tourney games. Abby Woollacott played in two games last year's MAC Tournament, while Georgia Breunig saw action in one.
 
NIU-EMU MAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
NIU and Eastern Michigan are even in MAC Tournament games with each team winning a game in their tournament series history. This is the first time the two schools will meet in DeKalb as the two previous games were playing in Ypsilanti. NIU's last win in a first round game was Mar. 10, 2014 when the Huskies defeated Eastern Michigan, 81-76, in overtime in Ypsilanti, Mich.
 
SERIES HISTORY
Eastern Michigan owns a 35-15 record in the all-time series history, including a 17-8 mark in DeKalb. Eastern Michigan posted an 83-76 win at the NIU Convocation Center earlier this season (see page 30). However, NIU won the last meeting between the two at the Eastern Michigan Convocation Center, 84-75 (see page 7). 
 
WHEN LAST WE MET
The Huskies led wire-to-wire as NIU defeated Eastern Michigan, 84-75, Saturday at the EMU Convocation Center. Mikayla Voigt led the way tying her career high in points with 26. Courtney Woods and Kelly Smith also finished in double figures, scoring 23 and 13 points, respectively. NIU opened the game on fire with a 9-2 run and shot 62.5 percent from the field in the first half. The Huskies salted the game away from the free throw line as Woods three of four from the line, while Voigt scored NIU's final four points of the game from the charity stripe.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE
With a win, NIU will advance to Cleveland to face No. 1 seed Central Michigan at Quicken Loans Arena. Tip-off is set for 11 a.m. CT Wednesday.
               
LAST TIME OUT
Western Michigan shot 52.4 percent from the field and outrebounded the Huskies 37-27 as WMU defeated NIU, 85-66, in the regular season finale at the Convocation Center Saturday. Four Broncos finished in double figures with Breanna Mobley leading the way with 28 points. Senior Kelly Smith paced the Huskies, scoring 22 points and hauling in seven boards. Courtney Woods finished with 15 points and eight assists.
 
NIU IN THE MAC
The Huskies fell to 165-245 all time in Mid-American Conference games after their loss to Western Michigan. NIU is 23-31 in league play under head coach Lisa Carlsen.
 
NIU VS. MAC WEST
With the loss to the Broncos, the Huskies dropped to 99-176 all-time and are now 2-8 MAC West foes this season. NIU is 9-22 versus West teams under Lisa Carlsen, including a 6-6 mark last year.
 
FOUR FOR 30
Courtney Woods became the first Huskie to record six 30-point games in the same season since Lisa Foss who accomplished the feat during the 1990-91 season when she scored 38 points versus Toledo Wednesday. Foss tallied a school-record nine 30-point games that season. Woods set her career-best mark in points scored with 39 in a victory over Western Illinois (Nov. 18) and again in NIU's victory over Kent State (Jan. 3).
 
MAY I HELP YOU
Ally May led the Huskies in rebounding for the second-straight game when she tallied nine against Toledo. Of those nine boards, seven came on the defensive end. May also had a team-high nine rebounds in NIU's victory at Eastern Michigan Feb. 24. The Huskie redshirt-sophomore is second on the team in rebounds with 199 this season and 247 for her career.
 
OUT OF THE WOODS
Courtney Woods averages 22.1 points a game, which ranks 11th in the nation and first in the MAC. Woods also leads the league and ranks 26th in the country in field goals made with 221. Her 640 points this season leads the MAC and ranks 12th nationally.
 
WOODS REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
With her 15 points scored against Western Michigan, Courtney Woods surpassed Carol Owens for fifth place on NIU all-time single-season scoring list for the most points scored by a junior in NIU history. Woods needs 20 points to pass E.C. Hill for fourth place. She is also averaging 22.1 points a game, which currently ranks third in NIU history for points per game in a single season. 
 
KEEPING SCORE
Courtney Woods' 38-point effort against the Rockets allowed her to surpass both Jennifer Youngblood (2000-04) and Ally Lehman (2013-17) to move into 12th place on NIU's all-time scoring list. The Huskie junior has amassed 1,496 career points in 92 career games. She needs 15 points to pass Amanda Corral (2000-04) for 11th on the list.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Courtney Woods recorded her team-best eighth double-double of the season when she scored 29 points and grabbed 12 rebounds vs. the Falcons. Kelly Smith joined Woods and Ally May as the only Huskies with multiple double-double games this season when she scored 18 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds against the Bobcats. It was the second time this season two Huskies recoded a double-double in the same game. May posted her double-doubles against Western Illinois and Miami (Dec. 30).
 
Player                                            Game                 Pts.           Rebs.        Assist
Courtney Woods                          Bowling Green   29               12                --
Courtney Woods                          Akron                   23               12                --
Courtney Woods                          Miami                  17               10                --
Courtney Woods                          Ball State            37               15                --
Kelly Smith                                   Ohio                     18               12
Courtney Woods                          Ohio                     17               10
Courtney Woods                          C. Michigan        25               10                --
Mikayla Voigt                                Toledo                 16                --                10
Courtney Woods                          Buffalo                17               10                --
Ally May                                         Miami                  16               11                --
Myia Starks                                   Albany                 19               10                --
Kelly Smith                                   Chicago St.         23               10                --
Courtney Woods                          W. Illinois            39               11                --
Ally May                                         W. Illinois            10               16                --
 
LEADER OF THE PACK
With her team-high 30 points and six rebounds against the Chippewas, Courtney Woods led the Huskies in both categories in the same game for the ninth time this season and for the 11th time in her career. Woods also accomplished the feat twice last year. Last season, Ally Lehman led the team in scoring and rebounding a team-best five times. Lehman was also the last Huskie to lead the Huskies in points and rebounds in a game in a single season when she did it 11 times in 2015-16.
 
CAREER-HIGH FOR COURTNEY
Courtney Woods recorded a career-high nine assists in NIU's victory at Eastern Michigan. The Huskie junior just missed a triple-double, scoring 23 points and hauling in eight rebounds.
 
POINT TAKEN
Mikayla Voigt tied her career-high in points scored in a game when she tallied 26 in NIU's victory at Eastern Michigan. She set her career mark earlier in the year in NIU's overtime victory over Buffalo in the Convocation Center. The Huskie junior went 8-of-19 from the field, including 4-for-11 from three-point territory, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line. She has four 20-point games this season.
 
CRASHING THE GLASS
Kelly Smith joined NIU's 600-rebound club following her three rebounds at Eastern Michigan. The Huskie senior has 617 rebounds for her career and averages 5.6 rebounds a game. Smith is the 19th Huskie to record 600 career rebounds and the first since Ally Lehman (2013-17), who finished with 990.
 
CARLSEN CLIMBING
Lisa Carlsen enters her third season as head coach of the NIU Women's Basketball team. She has a 47-45 record at NIU for a .511 winning percentage, putting her behind Rita Horky (1981-83), who finished with a .525 winning percentage (31-28). With the win over Loyola, Carlsen surpassed Liz Galloway-McQuitter for sixth all-time at NIU in wins and has a career record of 229-202 in 15 seasons as a head coach. She needs one more win to pass Alice Textor (1977-81), who tallied a 47-46 record.
 
HOW LOW CAN YOU GO
The Huskies committed a season-low seven turnovers in their game at Central Michigan. NIU's previous season-best was nine, which occurred at Iowa (Nov. 15) and against Bowling Green (Feb. 10). The last time NIU turned the ball over seven times or less was Feb. 25, 2015 in a 69-62 win over Central Michigan.
 
EAST BOUND AND DOWN
NIU wrapped up regular season play versus the MAC East with its 73-68 win over Bowling Green. The Huskies improved to 5-3 this season versus teams from the MAC's East Division and 106-103 all-time with their win over the Falcons. The Huskies swept both meetings with Kent State, defeated Buffalo in overtime on Jan. 6 and Akron on Feb. 7. NIU was swept by Miami and dropped a two-point game at Ohio on Jan. 24. The Huskies are 16-9 versus East foes under Lisa Carlsen.
 
HUSKIE HARDWARE
Courtney Woods earned her fourth MAC West Player of the Week award following her performance versus the Zips and Falcons. She averaged a double-double scoring 26 points and hauling in 12 rebounds a game as she helped lead NIU to a perfect 2-0 week. Woods also picked up MAC West Player of the Week honors Nov. 21, Jan. 10 and Jan. 30 this season. Myia Starks also earned MAC West POTW honors after her game against SIUE.
 
SCORE ONE FOR SMITH
Kelly Smith moved into 16th on NIU's all-time scorers list following her 25-point game at Central Michigan. The Huskie senior has 1,337 points for her career and is 79 points from passing Charmonique Stallworth, who registered 1,415 points in her career.
 
NO REST NEEDED
Mikayla Voigt leads the league in minutes played and minutes played per game and ranks 95th and 52nd in the nation in those categories, respectively. Voigt averages 36:31 minutes played a game and has played 1,053 minutes this season.
 
MIKAYLA'S MILESTONE
Mikayla Voigt reached the 1,000th-career point plateau with a three-pointer from the left wing in NIU's victory at Kent State. Voigt joined her teammates Courtney Woods and Kelly Smith in the 1,000-career-point club. The Huskie junior has 1,100 career points after scoring two points vs. Western Michigan. She has scored a career best 400 points this season, surpassing last year's total of 380.
 
ASSISTANCE NEEDED
Mikayla Voigt is a member of NIU's 250-point assist club as the Huskie junior has 304 for her career. Voigt, who recorded her 250th career assist at Ball State earlier this season, ranks 10th on NIU's all-time list and is 36 away from surpassing Toby Meeks for ninth. She tallied a career-best 10 in her first career double-double performance at Toledo on Jan 13, 2018.
 
MILLENNIALS
When Mikayla Voigt joined Courtney Woods and Kelly Smith in the 1,000th-career point club at Kent State, it marked the first time three Huskies scored their 1,000th-career point in the same season. The last time more than one Huskie scored their 1,000th career point in the same season was 1993-94 when E.C. Hill and Angela Lockett accomplished the feat. Smith and Woods became the first Huskie teammates to reach the 1,000-career point plateau in the same game, almost on back-to-back buckets, in NIU's victory over Loyola (Dec. 6). Woods scored her 1,000th-point on the Huskies' second to last basket of the first half, while Smith hit NIU's opening shot of the second half to score her 1,000th-career point.
 
WOOLLACOTT WARMING UP
Abby Woollacott earned his first career start Wednesday night against Toledo, scoring two points and grabbing four rebounds in 24 minutes of action. Earlier this season, she scored a career-high 19 points, going 8-of-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from the free throw line in NIU's victory over Bowling Green. Her previous career best was six points achieved three times this season.
 
ON THE BOARDS
Abby Woollacott turned in her best rebounding performance of her career in NIU's victory over Buffalo, hauling in 13 rebounds and scoring a season-high six points against the Bulls. Her previous career high was 10 rebounds last year versus Ohio (Jan. 7). The Huskie sophomore has 60 rebounds this season, breaking last year's total of 54.
 
RILEY ON THE REBOUND
Freshman Riley Blackwell posted her first double-digit rebounding game of her career when she grabbed 10 versus Bowling Green Feb. 10. Blackwell recorded five offensive and five defensive rebounds against the Falcons.
 
TWO TO TANGO
The Huskies' 77-75 loss at Ohio on Jan. 24 was the fifth game this season decided by two points or less and dropped NIU to 3-2 in such contests this season. Each of NIU's first three games of conference play were decided by two points. The Huskies opened MAC play with a 67-65 loss at Miami, before beating Kent State (Jan. 3), 81-79, and Buffalo (Jan. 6), 86-84, in overtime. NIU posted a 96-94 win over Western Illinois in the 2017-18 home opener on Nov. 18.
 
DEFENDING THE GLASS
NIU recorded a season-high 42 defensive rebounds in its victory over the Bulls as the Huskies out-rebounded Buffalo, 59-58. The Huskies lead the MAC and are ninth in the country in defensive rebounds, grabbing 30 a game. NIU ranks fourth in the league and 57th in country in rebounds per game, averaging 40.6 a game.
 
ON THE REBOUND
NIU tied a Convocation Center record for rebounds in a game when it grabbed a season-high 59 rebounds against the Bulls. The last time the Huskies had 59 rebounds at home was Nov. 11, 2011 versus Western Illinois. Last season, the Huskies had five games of 50 rebounds or more, hauling in a season-high 57 versus Illinois State.
 
CASTRO'S CAREER BESTS
Redshirt freshman Paulina Castro, who sat out all of the 2016-17 season battling Hodgkins Lymphoma, has played in 22 games, starting eight, for the Huskies this season. She made her first career start at Eastern Illinois collecting one rebound and one assist in 10 minutes of play against the Panthers. She established career highs in three offensive categories and tied a fourth in NIU's loss to Eastern Michigan Jan. 20. She scored a career best 14 points, going 5-of-7 from the floor, career highs in field goals and field goals attempted. Her four three pointers made ties her career high in that category set against Sacramento State.
 
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE HONOREE
Junior Mikayla Voigt tallied 19 points in an 80-59 win at Chicago State and against Lamar on 5-of-12 in the tournament finale at the 2017 UTSA Thanksgiving Classic. Those performances, coupled with her 4.0 GPA while pursuing her bachelors degree in nursing, helped her earn MAC Female Scholar-Athlete of the Week honors from the MAC on Nov. 30. She is the first NIU woman to win the award this year and the second Huskie, joining Football's Jackson Abresch.
 
DOUBLE TROUBLE
The Huskies had a season-high five players finish in double figures in their win over Western Illinois. Last season, NIU accomplished the feat seven times and Saturday's quintet of double-digit scorers are the most since Jan. 25, 2017 when six Huskies finished in double figures against Kent State. Courtney Woods led the way with 39 points and Mikayla Voigt followed with 16. Kelly Smith and Janae Poisson tallied 14 and 11 points, respectively, while May finished with 11.
 
WELCOME NEWCOMERS
NIU head coach Lisa Carlsen welcomed two new members to her staff for this year. Maria Kasza joined NIU as an assistant coach, while Quinn Rear was added to the staff as director of basketball operations. Kasza came to NIU after spending the last five seasons as an assistant at Michigan Tech. Rear joined the NIU staff following two seasons as a graduate assistant at Truman State.
 
FOREIGN HUSKIES
Freshman Gabby Nikitinaite, a native of Orpington, Kent, United Kingdom, is the second foreign player on the Huskie roster. She joins Courtney Woods, who hails from Brisbane, Australia.
 
SEEKING A POSTSEASON ENCORE
The Huskies, who made their first postseason appearance since 1995 when they participated in the 2017 Women's National Invitational Tournament, are looking to make it consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 1994-95. NIU made back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances in 1993-94 and 1994-95.
 
HALL CALL FOR HILL
Huskie Hall of Famer E.C. Hill (1991-94) can add one more accolade to her distinguished career as the former NIU guard was named to The Summit League's 2018 Hall of Fame Class. A first team All-American, Hill ranks seventh all-time at NIU in points scored tallying 1,638 points and fifth in career assists with 392. NIU's first WNBA performer, the Whitney Young standout played for the Charlotte Sting (2000), Phoenix Mercury (2001), Los Angeles Sparks (2001) and Orlando Miracle (2002).
 
HALL CALL
Huskies women's basketball legend Angela Lockett was inducted into the NIU Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 6, 2017. Lockett, who starred for the Huskies from 1990-92, 1993-95 was a scoring and rebounding force who helped guide the NIU women's basketball team to the postseason in each of her four seasons on the court. Seventh on NIU's all-time scoring list, she also led NIU in rebounding for four seasons, closing her career with 1,014 career boards, the third best mark in school history.
 
TWENTY-ONE AND OVER
The Huskies are coming off a 21-12 record in 2016-17. It was NIU's first 20-win season since 1993-94 and the sixth in school history. The school record for wins in a season is 26 set in 1989-90 when the Huskies posted a 26-5 record.
 
WORKING OVERTIME
NIU improved to 1-1 in overtime games this season and 28-25 all-time when it defeated Buffalo, 86-84, in overtime in the Convocation Center. The Huskies fell to Albany, 97-91, in overtime on Dec. 21, 2017 in NIU's final game in Puerto Rico. NIU is 2-3 in overtime affairs under Lisa Carlsen and are 4-2 in double overtime contests all-time.
 
BRAGGING RIGHTS
With its 86-75 victory at SIUE, NIU improved to 125-123 against Division I teams from the state of Illinois and completed the season sweep of their Illinois opponents, going 6-0 versus in-state rivals. The Huskies have won their last 10 games versus in-state foes and 15 of their last 16. The Huskies' only loss during that stretch was an 83-79 setback at Western Illinois. NIU is 15-2 overall under Lisa Carlsen against Illinois opponents. The last time the Huskies went undefeated versus teams from the Land of Lincoln was 1989-90 when NIU went 9-0 against in-state competition.