DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team opens a two-game road trip on Saturday when it faces the Ball State Cardinals at Worthen Arena at 3:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
 
NIU (13-8, 5-4 MAC) won its second straight game Wednesday night, allowing a season-low 47 points in an 88-47 win over Bowling Green at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies held the Falcons to 29 percent shooting from the field, including a 19.6 percent mark in the final three quarters. It was the first time NIU held an opponent under 50 points since a 69-42 win over Wisconsin Lutheran on Nov. 17, 2015. The win over the Falcons marked the second straight time NIU erased a 13-point deficit to win.
 
The Huskies made 11 three-pointers against Bowling Green Wednesday night, its highest total since making 11 against Chicago State on Dec. 21. Mikayla Voigt (Slinger, Wis./Kettle Morraine Lutheran) and Riley Blackwell (Plainfield, Ind./Plainfield) each made four threes in the game. Voigt scored 14 of her 16 points Wednesday night in the second half. Blackwell was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field against the Falcons for 14 points.
 
Junior forward Abby Woollacott (Rockford, Ill./Rockford Lutheran) was also 5-for-5 from the field Wednesday night, recording her first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill.) led all scorers with 21 points and seven assists. Starks is averaging 11.6 points and 3.4 assists per game.
 
Ball State (7-14, 2-7 MAC) leads the all-time series against NIU 36-19. The Cardinals have won each of the last three meetings, sweeping last season's series. NIU last won in Muncie on Jan. 28, 2017, a 101-96 victory over the Cardinals. Ball State is 2-7 in the MAC after an 81-63 loss at Central Michigan Wednesday night. The Cardinals led 34-33 at halftime, but the Chippewas shot 69 percent from the field in the second half to come away with the win. Oshlynn Brown led Ball State with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Maliah Howard-Bass added 11 points and three assists. Brown leads the Cardinals with 13.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Ball State is averaging 65 points per game and allowing 70 points per game. 
 
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