OXFORD, Ohio – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team led by as much as 14 points in the third quarter of Wednesday night's game against the Miami RedHawks at Millett Hall, but it was the hosts that scored the final seven points of the contest to come away with a 66-64 win.
 
Miami (8-6, 1-1 MAC) closed to within three points early in the third quarter after the Huskies built a 33-26 halftime advantage. A Savannah Kluesner three-point play at the 7:34 mark made the score 35-32 NIU and punctuated a 6-0 RedHawks run. Courtney Woods (Brisbane, Australia/St. Margaret's) then scored six straight points to spark a 13-2 NIU run over 3:57 to give the Huskies' their largest lead of the game, 48-34, with 3:29 to play. Miami got back in the game with a 10-0 run capped by a Monique Esbrand three-pointer with 0:30 left in the third to make the score 48-44. Myia Starks (Plainfield, Ill./Nequa Valley) split a pair of foul shots with 0:21 to play to put NIU up 49-44 heading into the final quarter.

The RedHawks closed to within three points at the 6:43 mark of the fourth quarter. A Kluesner three-point play made the score 55-52. NIU then got a pair of free throws from Starks and an Ally May (Hartland, Wis./Arrowhead) jumper to go back up by seven, 59-52, with 5:16 left in the game. After a Kluesner putback got Miami within two, 61-59, with under 3:00 to play, Starks converted a three-point play to give NIU a 64-59 with 1:46 to go.
 
Peyton Scott then scored for Miami to cut the deficit to three with 1:31 to go. Miami then forced a turnover and turned that into an Esbrand triple that tied the game at 64 with 1:06 remaining. The two teams then traded missed shots, giving NIU a chance to win the game with 0:22 left. The Huskies turned the ball over again with Esbrand going coast to coast with the steal and the score to put Miami ahead 66-64 with 0:04 to go. NIU's last second chance to win the game came up short.
 
"We faltered down the stretch, but for the most part I liked our effort tonight," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We did a good job attacking the things we thought we could get offensively. Defensively, we did a good job minimizing the effect Savannah Kluesner and Lauren Dickerson had on the ballgame. Obviously the last possession will weigh upon us, but there are a lot of positives we can take from this."
 
NIU (4-9, 0-2 MAC) took an early 5-2 lead in the first 1:36 of the game on a May three and a Starks jumper. The RedHawks came back with a 7-0 run over 2:02 to take a 9-5 advantage. The Huskies took back the lead a 10-0 run over the next 2:41, getting three-pointers from freshmen Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) and  Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran), to go up 15-9 with 4:20 left in the opening quarter. Miami closed to within two points in the final minute as baskets from Kluesner and Dickerson made the score 20-18 at the end of the first.
 
The Huskies' defense shined in the second quarter. NIU held Miami to one field goal in the first seven minutes while building a 29-20 lead. Koker's three-pointer at the 4:22 mark capped a 9-2 run that opened the quarter for NIU. The Huskies held the RedHawks to 4-for-16 from the field in the second quarter, with Miami getting as close as five points with 0:26 left on a Kluesner jumper that made the score 31-26. Woods then made a pair of free throws to give NIU a 33-26 halftime lead. The Huskies shot 40 percent from the field in the first half and held a 29-13 rebounding edge over the RedHawks.
 
Woods led all scorers with 23 points, adding eight rebounds and a game-high four steals. Starks and Koker each had 10 points. May led all players with 11 rebounds. Kluesner led Miami with 19 points and eight rebounds. NIU outrebounded Miami 44-31 and shot a season-high 45.1 percent from the field. Miami scored 37 points off 25 Huskies turnovers.
 
NIU returns home on Saturday, January 11 to take on Toledo at 1 p.m. in the first game of a doubleheader at the NIU Convocation Center. Huskie fans are encouraged to wear black as part of the Black-Out on Saturday. It is also Pup Club Day. Tickets for all remaining home games, including flex passes, are available now online at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
--NIU--