EAST LANSING, MICH. – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team led early at Michigan State Sunday afternoon at the Breslin Center but the Spartans soon showed why they are undefeated on the season in an 82-70 win over the Huskies.
 
The Huskies shot 43.6 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line Sunday. Sophomore A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) led NIU with a season-high 16 points and tied a career-high with three assists.
 
"We feel like A'Jah's talented enough around the basket to have success and we saw that today," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We had to remind her a couple times today to continue to stay aggressive. She's become such a better passer, but when somebody's just going to play her one-on-one at the block I need her to stay aggressive like she was in the second half.
 
Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) added 14 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals and was a perfect 5-for-5 at the foul line. NIU also got a lift off the bench from Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and Emily Meinert (Galesburg, Ill./Parkland College). The duo combined for 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting from the field with Marable adding three rebounds and an assist.
 
NIU (2-5) took an 8-2 lead 2:20 into the game, scoring eight straight points that included threes from Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) and Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian). Michigan State responded with 16 consecutive points, eight coming from Nia Clouden alone, to take an 18-8 lead with 2:03 left in the first quarter. Davis ended the scoreless stretch of almost six minutes with a layup at the 1:54 mark.
 
Michigan State (6-0) grew its lead to 19 in the second quarter when a Kendall Bostic layup put the Spartans up 41-22 with 3:13 to play until halftime. Koker put the Huskies on her back and got NIU back in the game. The sophomore scored nine straight points in 1:34 to get NIU within 10, 41-31, with 1:39 left in the quarter. The Huskies looked to go into halftime down by 10, but Tory Ozment sank a three in the final seconds to send Michigan State to the locker room up 13, 46-33.
 
NIU chipped away at Michigan State's lead in the third quarter. Behind baskets from Meinert and Marable and free throws from Davis and Errin Hodges (Pontiac, Ill./Evansville Central [Ind.]), the Huskies cut the Spartans' lead to nine 54-45 with 2:41 left in the third. Michigan State grew its lead to 15 before Marable beat the quarter buzzer with her first career three to make the score 63-51 heading into the fourth.
 
The Huskies got as close as seven points early in the fourth. A Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) three-pointer and a pair of Davis baskets cut a 14-point Spartans advantage in half, 65-58, with 8:04 to play. Michigan State responded with six straight points from Clouden and Alyza Winston to take a 71-58 lead with 6:35 remaining. NIU would only get as close as nine points the rest of the way.
 
"If you look at the second, third and fourth quarters we played some good basketball and got some good offensive execution and were able to string some stops together as well," Carlsen said. "We've been lucky for the opportunity to play seven games before the holiday because a lot of teams haven't had that. We've played a lot of different teams and had a lot of different styles throw at us, which is great. Hopefully those are all positives heading into league play after the first of the year."
 
Clouden led all scorers with 18 points and seven assists. Ozment added 12 points and seven assists with Bostic scoring 11 points off the bench.
 
NIU returns to Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Jan. 2 against Western Michigan at the NIU Convocation Center. Although fans are unable to attend NIU basketball games this season, fans can make their presence felt by purchasing a cutout as part of the "Huskie Howl" presented by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO).
 
Fans can put their image on a cutout for just $60 that will remain in the NIU Convocation Center for all NIU men's and women's basketball games during the 2020-21 season. Net proceeds from the sales of fan cutouts benefit the Huskie Athletic Fund. Click here to order your cutout.
 
 
--NIU--