Women's Basketball | January 11

DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team returns to the NIU Convocation Center Saturday for a 1 p.m. showdown with the defending Mid-American Conference champion Central Michigan Chippewas. The game is the first of a doubleheader Saturday, with the NIU men's basketball team hosting Akron at 3:30 p.m.
 
Saturday's matchup pits NIU's perfect 7-0 home record against Central Michigan's 6-0 road record. The Huskies are averaging 89 points per game on the home floor, shooting just under 45 percent from the field. NIU (9-5, 1-1 MAC) has shot over 40 percent from the field in each of the last six home games, including a season-high 59.5 percent in a 114-52 win over Chicago State on Dec. 21.
 
The Huskies moved to 1-1 on the early MAC season after an 87-78 loss at Kent State snapped NIU's five-game winning streak. Senior guard Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) led NIU with 26 points, going 10-for-20 from the field. It was her fifth game of at least 25 points in the last six contests. On Wednesday night, Voigt passed Charmonique Stallworth for 15^th on the NIU career scoring chart with 1,425 points. She is now 75 points away from becoming the 13^th Huskie to score 1,500 career points.
 
Central Michigan (11-3, 2-0 MAC) was picked to win the MAC West in the preseason after winning last season's MAC Tournament and reaching the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. The Chippewas are 2-0 in the league after serving Ohio its first loss of the season Wednesday night 88-70. Presley Hudson led Central Michigan with 24 points as Reyna Frost added 23 points and 17 rebounds. Hudson is third in the MAC in the scoring at 21.5 points per game. Frost, who has been named MAC West Player of the Week each of the last three weeks, is fourth in scoring at 18.4 points per game and leads the MAC with 11.5 rebounds per game.
 
Saturday's game is Pup Club Day, and the Huskies will also celebrate Victor E. Huskie's birthday. Federal employees can show their government ID at the NIU Convocation Center box office Saturday for two complimentary tickets to Saturday's doubleheader. DeKalb County residents can go to this link for a five-dollar ticket to the doubleheader. Tickets are available from the NIU Convocation Center Box Office by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or by logging on to NIUHuskies.com/tickets.
 
--NIU--