DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team won its fifth game out of its last six Monday night at the NIU Convocation Center, defeating the Western Michigan Broncos 77-63.
 
"There was a lot of good basketball played on both ends in the first half," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "It's good that we shot the ball well. Overall, it's a great win. All of them are critical. To be able to win at home again is a good thing for us."
 
Errin Hodges (Evansville, Ind./Central) led NIU with 17 points and 10 rebounds for her first career double-double. Hodges was 7-for-10 from the field to tie her career-high in scoring. Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) had 16 points off the bench, with 14 coming in the second half. Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) was 7-for-10 from the field and scored 14 points with eight rebounds. Myia Starks was the fourth Huskie to score in double-figures with 15 points and six rebounds.
 
"I was just taking what they were giving me and going in strong and trying to finish the best I can," said Hodges. "I was just feeling good and attacking the rim."
 
NIU (16-9, 8-5 MAC) opened the game on a 7-2 run, bookended by a Hodges three-pointer and a Hodges layup. The lead grew to six, 14-8, at the 5:44 mark on the first quarter on a Starks three-point play. NIU shot 55.6 percent from the field in the first quarter, taking a 22-17 lead.
 
The Huskies clamped down on defense in the second quarter, holding Western Michigan to nine points on 3-of-14 shooting. NIU scored the first eight points of the period as a pair of Starks jumpers put the Huskies ahead 30-17 with 8:25 to play in the half. Hodges capped a 7-1 NIU run when she blocked a Deja Wimby layup, got the rebound, and ran the length of the floor to lay it in with 3:27 to play, making the score 36-22. She was fouled on the play and converted the bonus free throw to put NIU up by 17. Hodges had another three-point play with 1:19 to play in the second quarter that put NIU ahead 45-25, with the Huskies taking a 45-26 lead into the half. NIU shot 54.1 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes, scoring 20 points in the paint.
 
"We took advantage of driving lanes that were there because of how they were defending Mikayla [Voigt]," Carlsen said. "There's a lot of different things that were presented, and we did a good of taking what we were getting."
 
Western Michigan (8-15, 2-10 MAC) scored the first six points of the second half, with a Wimby layup making the score 45-31 with 8:51 to play in the third quarter. NIU then went on a 13-4 run over the next 4:26 to take a 58-35 lead. Nikitinaite scored the last seven points of the run for the Huskies, giving NIU its largest lead of the game. The Broncos closed the quarter on an 8-0 run to get within 15, 58-43. Western Michigan got as close as 11 in the fourth quarter when a Kamrin Reed triple made the score 72-61 with 3:27 to play. Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) answered with a three of her own to put the lead back to 14, 75-61, with under two minutes to play.
 
NIU shot 52.4 percent from the field Monday night, holding Western Michigan to 38.5 percent. The Huskies also held a 43-31 rebound margin, making NIU 14-0 when it outrebounds its opponent this season. Wimby led all scorers with 21 points, adding nine rebounds.
 
The Huskies go on the road Saturday, Feb. 23 to take on MAC West division-leading Central Michigan. Tip-off is at 12 p.m.
 
--NIU--