DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team fell to 9-6 in Mid-American Conference play Wednesday night after an 82-79 loss to the Ball State Cardinals at the NIU Convocation Center.
"We're not happy with the outcome but I think there's a lot of positives that we can take form tonight's game," said head coach
Lisa Carlsen. "It really came down to Ball State making a couple more plays, especially late in the game. That game had a tournament feel to it and we're going to look at the positives we did have tonight and hopefully rectify a few things and continue to push forward."
Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led the Huskies with 22 points, adding four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) tied a season-high with 20 points and tied a career-high with five three-pointers.
A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) and
Errin Hodges (Pontiac, Ill./Evansville Central [Ind.]) each had 10 points with Davis leading NIU with nine rebounds.
NIU (11-9, 9-6 MAC) led 72-67 with 6:32 to play in the game following a Pauline Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) layup. Ball State then scored eight of the next nine points in the game to take a 75-73 lead with 2:46 to go. The Huskies responded with a 6-1 run over the next 1:24 as a pair of Davis free throws put NIU back in front 79-76.
Ball State (12-9, 10-7 MAC) tied the game at 79 with 1:01 to play in regulation on an Oshlynn Brown three-point play. Koker had a chance to put the Huskies back ahead on NIU's next possession but her layup try was off the mark and rebounded by the Cardinals, giving them the ball with 0:27 left. Once again, Ball State went inside to Brown who scored with 9.8 seconds left and was fouled. Her free throw gave the Cardinals an 82-79 lead. NIU had an opportunity to tie the game but Ball State's defense kept the Huskies from getting off a shot from three-point territory as the horn sounded.
After a 13-13 tie in the first quarter, both offenses picked up steam in the second. The Cardinals opened the period on an 11-2 run capped by a Blake Smith basket to take a 24-15 lead at the 5:55 mark. Ball State led 29-21 when NIU went on a 10-2 run, punctuated by back-to-back threes from Poisson and Koker, to tie the game 31-31 with 2:48 left until halftime. The Cardinals built their lead back up to four in the final minute when an Anna Clephane three-point play made the score 41-37. Poisson cut the deficit to one before halftime with her third three of the quarter with 0:22 left, making the score 41-40.
NIU broke a 46-46 deadlock in the third quarter with a 10-0 run. Poisson made her fourth and fifth threes over a span of 1:23 that put the Huskies up 56-46 with 5:52 to play in the third. The Huskies led 61-52 when a Clephane layup started a 7-2 Ball State run over 3:07 that got the visitors within four, 63-59. Hodges scored the final basket of the quarter to put NIU up six, 65-59, heading into the fourth.
Ball State shot 52.6 percent from the field and was 14-for-18 at the free throw line. NIU made 10 threes on the night and shot 48.3 percent from the field, while also outrebounding the Cardinals 33-26. Brown led all scorers with 26 points and 12 rebounds.
NIU goes on the road Saturday, Feb. 27 to take on the Western Michigan Broncos. Tip-off from University Arena is at 1 p.m. with the game broadcast available on ESPN+.
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