DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team will go on the road for the first time in the 2020-21 season this weekend when the Huskies go to Eastern Illinois for this year's Compass Challenge.
NIU will take on Eastern Illinois on Friday, December 4 at 3 p.m. On Saturday, December 5 the Huskies will face Western Illinois at 2 p.m. Friday's game will be broadcast locally on WLBK 98.9 FM/1360 AM with Saturday's game over WSQR 92.9 FM/1180 AM and are also available on the NIU Huskies app and TuneIn. Both games will also be broadcast on ESPN+.
The Huskies enter the weekend 0-1 on the year following an 85-61 loss to IUPUI on Wednesday, Nov. 25. Sophomore guard
Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led the Huskies with a career-high 21 points and three steals, adding six rebounds. Her previous career-high was 17 points set three different times in the 2019-20 season. Koker was a perfect 7-for-7 at the foul line as well.
NIU also got a scoring lift from
Errin Hodges (Pontiac, Ill./Evansville Central [Ind.]),
Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic), and
Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) who all returned to game action in the season opener after injuries shortened their 2019-20 seasons. Hodges scored 10 points in 19 minutes off the bench, making four of five shots from the field and grabbing four rebounds. Poisson had eight points and made a pair of three-pointers. Castro made her first start since the 2017-18 season and scored six points in a career-high 36 minutes.
The Huskies have had recent success against their opponents this weekend. NIU has won four straight games against Eastern Illinois and 10 of the last 12 including last season's 61-48 win over the Panthers at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskies have also won four of its last five matchups with Western Illinois.
Eastern Illinois comes into Friday's game 1-1 on the year after a 72-68 loss at Minnesota Wednesday afternoon. Sophomore guard Lariah Washington led the Panthers with 22 points against the Golden Gophers. Junior forward Abby Wahl added 16 points after putting up 16 points and 21 rebounds in Eastern Illinois' 82-71 season-opening win over UIC. Western Illinois is 0-1 on the season, losing 73-66 at Wisconsin on November 29. Grace Gilmore led the Leathernecks with 19 points as Evan Zars had a double-double of 13 points and 17 rebounds.
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