BUFFALO, N.Y. – Senior guard Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) reached the 1,500 career points mark on Saturday, scoring 26 points as the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team fell at Buffalo 93-64 at Alumni Arena.
 
Voigt is the 13^th Huskie in NIU Women's Basketball history to reach 1,500 career points. Her 26 points moved her past Amanda Corral for 12^th all-time on the NIU career scoring chart with 1,516. She was 11-for-26 from the field Saturday and added eight rebounds. Voigt has scored at least 20 points in each of the last three games. Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) had her fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. It was her fourth straight game with double-digit boards.
 
NIU (11-8, 3-4 MAC) took an 8-6 lead with 5:42 to go in the opening quarter, with May and Voigt each scoring four points. A Hanna Hall layup then sparked a 10-0 Buffalo run, with the Bulls taking a 16-8 lead on four straight points from Brittany Morrison at the 1:30 mark. Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) cut the deficit to six, 16-10, with a layup in the final minute of the quarter.
 
The Huskies took back the lead at the 6:45 mark of the second quarter. Voigt capped a 10-0 NIU run with the jumper that put her over 1,500 career points, giving NIU a 20-19 lead. The senior had seven of the 10 points with Nikitinaite adding a three. Buffalo responded with a 9-0 run, highlighted by a Courtney Wilkins three-pointer, to take a 28-20 lead with 5:03 to play in the half. A Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) jumper and Errin Hodges (Evansville, Ind./Central) free throw cut the deficit to five, 28-23, but the Bulls closed the half on a 9-1 run to take a 37-24 lead into the break.
 
Buffalo (14-4, 6-1 MAC) led by as much as 16 in the third before a Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) three-pointer started a 7-2 NIU run that got the Huskies within nine, 45-36, with 4:40 to play in the quarter. NIU got within eight at the 3:29 mark when a Castro triple made the score 49-41. The Bulls then raced out on a 10-4 run, capped by a Wilkins three, to go up 59-45 with 1:27 left in the third. Buffalo poured it on in the fourth, outscoring NIU 30-15 to win 93-64.
 
NIU shot 30.9 percent from the field, but made just four three-pointers on 26 attempts. Buffalo shot 46.7 percent from the field and made 10 threes. The Bulls also outrebounded the Huskies 53-41. Cierra Dillard led Buffalo with 26 points, adding 11 assists and five rebounds. Summer Hemphill had 18 points and a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
The Huskies return home to face Western Michigan on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available through the NIU Convocation Center Box Office by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or by logging on to NIUHuskies.com/tickets.
 
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