DEKALB, Ill. – Two of the longest winning streaks in the Mid-American Conference will be put on the line Wednesday night on ESPN+ at 6 p.m., when the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team faces the Miami Redhawks at Millett Hall.
NIU (14-8, 6-4 MAC) won its third straight game on Feb. 9, defeating Ball State 93-83 at Worthen Arena. Senior guard
Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) scored a game-high 37 points with 25 coming in the second half.
Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) added 19 points and seven assists. The Huskies outscored the Cardinals 23-13 in the second quarter to take a 49-40 halftime lead. NIU shot 51.5 percent from the field with 10 three-pointers. The Huskies dominated the offensive glass, scoring 21 second chance points off 16 offensive rebounds.
The offense has come alive for NIU during this current winning streak. The Huskies are averaging 83 points per game, shooting 46.7 percent from the field. NIU has made double-digit threes in each of its last two wins for the first time since late November, making 11 against Bowling Green on Feb. 6 and 10 at Ball State on Feb. 9. The Huskies are 7-1 this season when making at least 10 threes in a game. Voigt was a combined 12-for-22 from the three-point arc in last week's games, moving back into the MAC lead for three-pointers per game with 3.5. Her 76 threes this season are the sixth-most in the country and put her tied for sixth for the most in a single-season in NIU program history.
Miami (17-4, 8-2 MAC) won its seventh game in a row on Saturday, defeating Bowling Green on the road 82-75. The Redhawks overcame a 42-33 halftime deficit, shooting 45.7 percent in the second half. Lauren Dickerson led all scorers with 31 points as Savannah Kluesner added 16 points and nine rebounds. Miami has beaten both MAC division leaders, Central Michigan and Ohio, on the road during its current winning streak. The Redhawks are second in the MAC in scoring defense, allowing 60.1 points per game. Dickerson is eighth in the MAC in scoring at 16.3 points per game.
NIU opened MAC play with an 82-71 win over Miami on Jan. 5 at the Convocation Center. Sophomores
Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) and
Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) led the Huskies with 16 points each as NIU had six players score in double figures. The Huskies shot 58 percent from the field in the first half to take a 44-31 halftime lead.
On Feb. 16, the Huskies return to the NIU Convocation Center to host Toledo at 1 p.m. for "Cram The Convo". NIU will host its annual Play4Kay Kids Clinic the night before from 6-7 p.m. in Victor E. Court for 1
st-8
th graders. For more information, click on
this link and register.
The first 1,000 fans at each game of Saturday's doubleheader will receive a Victor E. Huskie bobblehead. NIU will wear special pink jerseys for Play4Kay day, and Play4Kay t-shirt's will be available for a minimum donation of $10. At halftime of Saturday's game, NIU Athletics will hold a Legacy Celebration to recognize the contributions and accomplishments of Huskie women student-athlete alumnae from the pre-Title IX era (1961-1981).
Tickets are available from the NIU Convocation Center Box Office, by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or by visiting NIUHuskies.com/tickets.
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