CLEVELAND – The seventh-seeded Northern Illinois University women's basketball team saw its 2020-21 season come to an end Wednesday in an 83-69 loss to the second-seeded Central Michigan Chippewas in the Mid-American Conference Tournament Quarterfinals at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
 
Sophomore guard Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led the Huskies with 22 points, shooting a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line. She finished her sophomore campaign with 506 points on the year, third-most for any second-year player in program history. A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) tied a career-high with 21 points and hauled in a game-high 11 rebounds for her sixth double-double of the season. Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic), named MAC Sixth Player of the Year on Tuesday, scored 14 points off the bench.
 
"We got beat by a very good team tonight," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "Central's best players really knocked down some tough shots and made sure they got what they wanted on each end of the floor. They shut us down offensively in spurts and then once we got going, they hit some tough shots down the stretch."
 
Central Michigan (16-8) raced out to an 11-2 lead 3:32 into the game on the strength of three-pointers from Micaela Kelly, Kyra Bussell and Maddy Watters. NIU responded with a 9-2 run over the next 4:38 to get within two, 13-11, with 1:08 to go in the first. Davis had four points in the run as a Poisson three started a stretch of seven straight points for the Huskies. The two teams traded three-pointers at the end of the quarter with Poisson answering a Kalle Martinez three to make the score 16-14 going into the second quarter.
 
NIU (12-12) took its first lead of the game with 7:11 to go in the second quarter. Davis and Poisson combined to go on a 7-0 run for the Huskies over 2:02 to make the score 21-19. The lead grew to four with 5:39 to play in the quarter when back-to-back baskets from Davis and Koker gave the Huskies a 25-21 advantage. The Huskies led 26-24 with 3:34 to go when a Molly Davis layup sparked a 13-0 Chippewas run that gave Central Michigan a 37-26 lead with 1:00 to play until halftime. Poisson got the deficit down to nine at halftime, 37-28, with a driving layup with 0:49 left in the half.
 
Central Michigan grew its lead to 13 early in the third, but the Huskies used a Paulina Castro (Elgin, Ill./Harvest Christian) jumper and a Koker three-pointer to get within eight, 43-35, with 6:16 to go in the quarter. NIU closed within eight twice more in the third, with two Poisson free throws making the score 50-42 with 1:42 to play. The Chippewas closed the quarter with a three from Anika Weekes and a Molly Davis steal and score to take a 55-42 lead into the fourth.
 
The Huskies made a late rally attempt in the final quarter. Down 60-44 with 7:53 to play, a pair of Koker free throws kickstarted a 7-0 run to get NIU within nine 60-51 with 6:42 left. NIU knocked the deficit down to eight with 4:53 to play on a layup from A'Jah Davis. Koker converted a three-point play with 4:17 to play and Mikayla Brandon (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) followed with a putback layup to get NIU within six, 68-62, with 3:48 to go. After Central Michigan scored five straight points to go up 11, Koker and A'Jah Davis combined for all seven Huskie points in a 7-2 run that made the score 75-69 with 1:27 to play. That was as close as NIU would get. The Huskies were forced to foul to save time and once the Chippewas got in the bonus, Central Michigan made eight out of its last 10 free throws to come away with the 83-69 win.
 
"All year long I really loved the fight in this team and that was no different today," Carlsen said. "Central's a great basketball team but this is a group that will continue to fight. I think we have great young talent that understands how to win together. Hopefully we have a more normal offseason and can continue to grow as a ballclub."
 
NIU shot 43.3 percent from the field but were held to 25 percent from long range, going 6-for-24. Central Michigan shot 47.5 percent overall and made 13-of-31 three-point attempts. The Huskies outrebounded the Chippewas 34-31 and outscored them in the paint 32-22. Molly Davis led all scorers with 24 points.
 
The Huskies close the 2020-21 season with a record of 12-12, advancing to the MAC Tournament in Cleveland for the third time in the last five seasons.
 
--NIU--