DeKALB, IL – Riding a five-game home court winning streak, the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team hosts the Kent State Golden Flashes this Saturday and Sunday at the NIU Convocation Center. Both games tip-off at 1 p.m. with Saturday's game on ESPN+ and Sunday's on ESPN3.
 
NIU (11-6, 9-3 MAC) and Kent State were originally scheduled to play twice in January but both games were postponed due to COVID-19 protocols.
 
The Huskies currently have the longest winning streak in the Mid-American Conference after winning their fifth straight game on Feb. 13 in an 81-75 win over Buffalo. NIU shot 56.5 percent from the field in the second half to overcome a five-point halftime deficit to earn the victory. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led all scorers with 20 points. A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) tied a career-high with 17 points and pulled down a career-high 19 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season.
 
Not only was the win over Buffalo NIU's fifth in a row, it was the Huskies' fifth straight victory at the NIU Convocation Center. NIU is averaging over 80 points per game over the last five home games, winning by an average of 13.8 points per game. The Huskies have shot 45.5 percent from the three-point arc over this stretch while holding opponents to 29.3 percent.
 
This weekend's games feature the top two three-point shooting teams in the MAC. NIU leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage at 39.5 percent as well as three-point field goal percentage defense at 28.6 percent. Kent State is second in the MAC in three-point field goal percentage at 36.5 percent. The Huskies are seventh in the country in both three-point field goal percentage and three-pointers per game at 9.8. Individually, Koker is fourth in the MAC with 2.5 made threes per game and Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) sixth with 2.35 threes per game. Poisson also leads the MAC in three-point field goal percentage at 48.2 percent.
 
Kent State (7-6, 6-4 MAC) is 6-4 in the MAC after a 71-58 loss at Western Michigan on Wednesday afternoon. Nila Blackford and Lindsey Thall both led the Golden Flashes with 14 points. Blackford added 12 rebounds for a double-double. Kent State leads the MAC in blocked shots at 3.1 per game. The Golden Flashes lead the all-time series with NIU 22-17 and have won the last two meetings, including a 79-71 win in DeKalb last season.
 
Following this weekend's games, NIU hosts Ball State on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
--NIU--