MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team had its two-game winning streak snapped Saturday at McGuirk Arena in a 76-52 loss to the Central Michigan Chippewas.
 
Sophomore guard Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) led the Huskies with 18 points off the bench, with 15 coming in the second half. She also had eight rebounds. Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) had nine points and four rebounds as Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) had eight points and a team-high four assists. Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) led NIU with 10 rebounds.
 
Central Michigan (20-6, 11-3 MAC) opened the game on a 9-2 run in the first 3:53, capped off by a pair of Reyna Frost layups. NIU cut the deficit to two as the Huskies responded with a Starks layup and a Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Moraine Lutheran) three-pointer to make the score 9-7 with 5:31 to play in the first quarter. The Chippewas then went on a 10-2 run over the next 2:34 to take a 19-9 lead. Presley Hudson scored seven of the 10 points in that stretch. Central Michigan got two more Hudson baskets at the end of the quarter to take a 23-11 lead after one.
 
NIU (16-10, 8-6 MAC) traded baskets with the Chippewas to start the second quarter, starting with a Nikitinaite three and ending with a pair of Starks jumpers to make the score 30-20 with 5:19 to play in the half. Frost then sparked another 10-2 Central Michigan run with a three-point play at the 5:00 mark, and capped it with a three with 1:20 remaining to put the Chippewas up by 18, 40-22. May made two foul shots with 0:40 left to make the halftime score 40-24.
 
Central Michigan started the third quarter on an 8-2 run, with a Micaela Kelly three making the score 48-26 with 8:06 remaining. The Chippewas lead grew to 26 with 2:35 left in the third as Frost scored all eight points of an 8-1 run to give Central Michigan a 58-32 lead. NIU outscored the Chippewas 10-5 in the first 4:25 of the fourth quarter as a pair of Nikitinaite free throws made the score 68-45. Nikitinaite scored the Huskies' final nine points of the game to get NIU within 20, 72-52, with 2:22 to go.
 
The Huskies were held under 30 percent from the field for just the second time all season Saturday, shooting 29.4 percent. Central Michigan shot 45.1 percent from the field and made 11 three-pointers. The Chippewas also held a 48-39 advantage on the glass. Frost led all players with 39 points and 13 rebounds. Hudson had 17 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.
 
NIU returns to the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 27 to face Eastern Michigan 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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