DEKALB, Ill. – Mikayla Voigt's (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) three-point play with 6.8 seconds left in regulation proved to be the difference in the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team's 54-52 win over the Toledo Rockets on Saturday at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
"We knew I was just going to go hard to the basket, so I put my head down and tried to make the layup," said Voigt about her game-winning play. "I'm just glad after a tough day I stayed with it and got the job done when it counted. The rivalry between NIU and Toledo is one for the ages, and I'm glad we came out with the win today."
 
"When you look at the full 40 minutes, it's about what you expect from a Toledo-NIU game," added head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We know what we're up against and since I've here, those games have all been tight. They made a great run, but we weathered the storm just enough and hit a huge shot at the end and got the stop when we needed it."
 
Voigt finished the game with nine points, playing all 40 minutes. Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) led NIU with 12 points, seven rebounds, and tied a career-high with three blocks. Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) added 11 points, five rebounds, and a team-high three assists. Blackwell was 5-for-7 from the field. Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) had eight points and a game-high three steals.
 
NIU (15-9, 7-5 MAC) led 43-35 heading into the third quarter, and scored the first four points of the fourth to take a 47-35 lead with 6:48 to play in the game. Toledo then began a furious rally with a three-pointer from Nakiah Black, going on a 17-4 run to eventually take a 52-51 lead with 0:26 left in regulation. A Sarah St-Fort layup capped a stretch of 10 straight points for the Rockets that put the visitors in the lead. On the Huskies' next possession, Voigt drove the right baseline and made a layup with 6.8 seconds left, drawing a foul in the process. The senior knocked down the bonus free throw to give NIU a 54-52 lead. NIU then held Toledo without a shot in its last possession to hang on for the win.
 
"Our defense started off really well, and that carried our offense," May said. "We got a couple hype plays and a shot clock violation early, and that helped us get rolling. The turnovers we forced were big for us in the beginning."
 
Toledo (15-8, 7-5 MAC) led 7-6 early in the first quarter when NIU used a 9-0 run to take a 15-7 lead. An Errin Hodges (Evansville, Ind./Central) three-pointer capped the run that put the Huskies up by eight with 0:35 left in the opening period. The Rockets cut the deficit to two in the second quarter when a Mariella Santucci three made the score 21-19 with 4:58 to play. Blackwell answered with a three-pointer of her own, propelling NIU onto another 9-0 run that gave the Huskies their largest lead of the game, 30-19, with 2:46 to play until halftime.
 
"Every game is critical right now," Carlsen said. "For sure, we're looking at the standings and a fight for seeding is always going to be important going forward. For a lot of reasons, this was a big game but all of them will count the same at the end. It'll either be an L or a W, and we'll take the W today."
 
The Huskies shot 37.3 percent from the field in the win, going 7-for-9 at the foul line. Toledo shot 36.1 percent and was 3-for-5 from the free throw line. The Rockets outrebounded NIU 44-34, but the Huskies were able to turn 17 Toledo turnovers into 17 points. Kaayla McIntyre led all players with 20 points and 15 rebounds.
 
NIU hosts Western Michigan on Monday, Feb. 18 at 6 p.m. 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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