DES MOINES, IA - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team was tied 33-33 with the Drake Bulldogs with under five minutes to play in the first half Sunday afternoon at the Knapp Center, but a big Bulldogs run to end the half and an even bigger second half led Drake to a 96-44 win.
Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) led the Huskies with 14 points, making four three-pointers on the day. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) had 10 points and four steals, scoring in double figures for the 31st straight game. A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) scored eight points with a game-high nine rebounds.
NIU (3-4) bounced back from a 10-3 Drake run to get within one, 12-11, with 5:31 to play in the first quarter. Koker and Davis combined for the last six points of the run. The Bulldogs extended their lead to eight points at the 3:01 mark on a pair of Grace Berg free throws that made the score 21-13. Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall HS) then scored four straight points for the Huskies to cut the lead in half, 21-17, with 1:52 left in the quarter.
Drake (7-2) came back with a 10-2 run that spread into the second quarter. Three straight layups from Berg and Anna Miller gave the Bulldogs a 31-19 lead with 7:51 to play until halftime. NIU rallied to the game at 33 with 4:57 remaining in the second. Sparked by three Poisson threes, the Huskies went on a 14-2 run over 2:54 to tie the game. Poisson's three-pointer at the 4:57 capped a stretch of 11 straight points for NIU. However, Drake answered the Huskies' big run with one of their own. The Bulldogs closed the half on an 18-2 run to take a 51-35 halftime lead.
"We did some good things to get back in the game after a slow start," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We got some good ball movement inside-out and Janae got hot from three. Drake was going to be a handful for us defensively, and once we stopped making shots and turned the ball over, it wasn't going to be our day."
The Huskies offense went cold in the second half, making just 4-of-34 attempts from the field as Drake outscored NIU 45-9 to come away with the win.
NIU wraps up their four-game road swing Thursday night when NIU renews its rivalry with DePaul at Wintrust Arena. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Huskie Flex Plans are now available for the 2021-22 men's and women's basketball seasons. Purchase vouchers for $6 each and use them throughout the season to attend Huskie men's and women's basketball home games. Simply redeem vouchers for tickets prior to the game.
—NIU—
