YPSILANTI, MI – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team led at halftime against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the EMU Convocation Center on Saturday but could not hold off a second half charge from the Eagles in a 62-55 loss.
"We'll go back and watch some possessions that we were not very happy with," said head coach
Lisa Carlsen. "We've been playing a lot better basketball over the last couple weeks. Every night poses a different challenge as we move through the league."
Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's) led all scorers with a season-high 27 points and led NIU with nine rebounds. She was 10-for-19 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. It was her third consecutive 20-point game and fourth in the last five games.
The Huskies led 30-29 at halftime behind 17 first-half points from Woods. NIU took a 38-35 lead with 4:56 to play in the third quarter following three straight points from
A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]). Eastern Michigan then went on a 9-2 run over 1:03, highlighted by a Jenna Annecchiarico three, to take a 44-40 lead at the 3:19 mark of the third. The two teams traded points to end the quarter with a pair of
Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) free throws getting the Huskies within two, 46-44, heading into the fourth.
Eastern Michigan (9-9, 4-3 MAC) built a five-point lead in the final period on baskets by Hudson and Areanna Combs to take a 51-46 advantage with 6:03 to go. The Huskies closed the deficit to three on baskets by
Mikayla Brandon (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) and
Gabby Nikitinaite (Orpington, Kent, UK/Coopers School) to make the score 53-50 with 3:21 left. Eastern Michigan doubled its lead with 2:52 to go on a Corionne Cardwell three-pointer that put the Eagles up 56-50. NIU got as close as three with 28 seconds left when a Woods three made the score 58-55. However, the Huskies were forced to foul late in the game to save time on the clock. Eastern Michigan went 4-for-4 at the free throw line in the final 24 seconds and forced a pair of NIU turnovers to win 62-55.
NIU (5-13, 1-6 MAC) opened the game on an 11-4 run that included an
Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) three-pointer and a Woods three-point play at the 4:20 mark of the first quarter. Eastern Michigan responded with a 13-2 run over 3:50 to take a 17-13 lead on a Natalia Pineda three-pointer with 26 seconds remaining in the quarter. The Huskies got a pair of free throws from Woods to get within two, 17-15, at the end of the first.
Those foul shots sparked a 6-0 run for NIU as baskets from Woods and
Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) gave the Huskies a 19-17 lead with 8:30 left in the second quarter. NIU led 23-22 with 3:45 to go until halftime when Autumn Hudson and Aaliyah Stanley combined to score seven points for Eastern Michigan to give the Eagles a 29-27 lead with 2:15 to go. The Huskies held the Eagles scoreless for the remainder of the first half, taking a 30-29 halftime lead on a Woods three-point play with 1:03 remaining. NIU held Eastern Michigan to 3-for-16 from the field in the quarter to take a one-point halftime advantage.
The Huskies are back home on Saturday, February 1 to host Buffalo at 12 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader with the NIU men's basketball team on Diversity and Inclusion Day. Tickets are available now online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
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