MUNCIE, IN – Sophomore guard Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) scored a career-high 34 points Monday afternoon as the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team won its fourth consecutive game with a 78-74 victory over the Ball State Cardinals at Worthen Arena.
 
Koker's previous career-high was 29 points in NIU's win at Miami on Jan. 16. The sophomore was 12-for-19 from the field, including making six of 10 three-point attempts, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. She also tied a career-high with six steals while adding four assists and three rebounds.
 
"My shot was feeling pretty good today," Koker said about her new career-high in scoring. "We did a good job running the offense. Everyone picked up the energy in the second half in order to give us the win."
 
The Huskies had two players with double-digit rebounds on the game. Mikayla Brandon (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) led the Huskies with 12 and nearly had a double-double after scoring nine points with a key three late in the game. A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) had 10 rebounds.
 
NIU (10-6, 8-3 MAC) built an 11-point lead heading into the fourth quarter on the strength of a 17-6 run over the last 7:02 of the third that made the score 57-46. The Huskies broke a 40-40 tie with a 7-2 spurt capped by a Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) three at the 3:58 mark that put NIU up 47-42. After a Ball State basket closed the deficit to three, NIU went on a 10-2 run to close the quarter as threes from Koker and Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) gave the Huskies their largest lead of the game going into the final quarter.
 
Ball State (9-7, 7-5 MAC) opened the fourth quarter on a 9-3 run as an Annie Rauch three-point play got the Cardinals within five, 60-55, with 6:44 to go. The Huskies got the lead back up to 10 with 4:48 remaining as a Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) three and a Koker steal and score put NIU ahead 67-57. Sparked by a Thelma Dis Agustsdottir three-pointer, Ball State went on a 10-0 run over 2:17 to tie the game at 67 with 2:09 left.
 
The Cardinals took the lead with 1:08 to go. Anna Clephane went to the free throw line for two shots and made the first. She missed the second but Oshlynn Brown put it back in to give Ball State a 70-69 lead. Brandon put NIU back in the lead on the Huskies next possession, knocking down a three off a Koker assist to make the score 72-70 with 0:46 left. The junior forward then grabbed the rebound of a missed three on Ball State's next possession and the Cardinals were forced to foul, eventually putting NIU in the bonus. Koker made two free throws with 0:15 to put the Huskies up four, 74-70. The two teams traded free throws the rest of the way leading to the Huskies' eighth win in the last eight games.
 
"In a tight ballgame we have people that are ready to perform," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "Our defensive group had some great stops and rebounds late in the game. This group trusts each other and understands what each other's strengths are. I think that makes us the most difficult to beat. We knew it was going to be a hard-fought game today and our resiliency showed again."
 
NIU battled out of an early 7-3 deficit in the first quarter, going on a 10-0 run sparked by a Poisson three to take a 13-10 lead with 3:23 left in the opening period. Ball State came back to tie the game at 16 on an Ivet Subirats layup with 1:16 to go in the first. The Cardinals led 22-21 in the second quarter when a Brandon basket sparked an 11-2 NIU run over 5:09 that put the Huskies up 32-24. Koker had seven points in that stretch. Ball State scored the final five points of the half to make the score 32-29 at halftime.
 
The Huskies shot 46.7 percent from the field and outrebounded Ball State 36-26. NIU made 12 threes in the game and held the Cardinals to four. Brown led Ball State with 28 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
 
NIU is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 13 with a 1 p.m. game against Buffalo at the NIU Convocation Center. Although fans are unable to attend NIU basketball games this season, you can still make your presence felt in the NIU Convocation Center by purchasing a cutout as part of the "Huskie Howl" presented by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO).
 
For just $60, fans can put their image on a cutout that will remain in place in the NIU Convocation Center for all NIU men's and women's basketball games during the 2020-21 season. Net proceeds from all fan cutouts will benefit the Huskie Athletic Fund. Click here to order your cutout.
 
--NIU--