YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team shot 73 percent from the field in the first half to take a 48-36 lead on its way to an 85-76 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the George Gervin GameAbove Center Saturday afternoon.

"Shooting is contagious," said head coach Lisa Carlsen after her team scored a season-high 85 points Saturday. "I thought we came out and took good shots. Our bench production in the first half was really good. When you have people step in and do what they're capable of doing, I think that helps everybody else relax."

Junior forward A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) led the Huskies with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Davis was 9-for-13 from the field and a perfect 5-for-5 at the foul line for her sixth 20-point effort of the season. It was also her 10th double-double of the season. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) had 17 points and a game-high six assists. She is now at 995 career points, five away from 1,000. Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) also scored in double figures with 16 points.

NIU (5-9, 2-4 MAC) trailed 12-7 early in the first quarter, but caught fire from the field midway through the period. Davis and Poisson combined to score 10 points in a 12-0 Huskies run over 3:29 that put NIU ahead 19-12. The lead grew to eight as threes from Koker and Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) made the score 25-17 with under one minute to go in the first. The Huskies made their last six shots from the field to shoot 77 percent from the field in the quarter, but Eastern Michigan scored five of the last seven points to get within five, 27-22.

The Huskies made their first seven three-point attempts in the game. After going 4-for-4 in the first quarter, McCrea and Koker each made one in NIU's 10-2 run that started the second quarter. Davis capped the run with a layup assisted by Poisson to make the score 37-24 with 5:51 to play until halftime. Nia Ahart (Detroit, Mich./Colgate) made the Huskies' seventh straight three of the game, putting NIU up 42-29 with 4:53 to play in the second. NIU took its largest lead of the half with 1:13 remaining as back-to-back Davis layups made the score 48-34, a score that held to halftime. NIU shot 73.1 percent from the field and made 7-of-10 three-point attempts in the first half, holding the Eagles to 41.2 percent from the field.

Three-pointers from Poisson and Koker highlighted a 10-1 NIU run in the third quarter that put the Huskies up by 17, 58-41, with 5:26 left in the period. Eastern Michigan closed to within 12 at the 3:35 mark on a Courtnie Lewis triple, but NIU pulled away again with a 7-2 run punctuated by a Poisson three to go ahead 67-50 with 1:03 to go in the third. The Huskies took their largest lead of the game right at the end of the quarter as Mikayla Brandon (Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais) beat the buzzer with a three to put NIU up 18, 70-52.

Eastern Michigan (4-9, 1-5 MAC) made a late rally in the fourth. The Eagles went on a 12-2 run over 5:08 to get within six on an Areanna Combs layup that made the score 76-70 with 2:44 to go. That would be as close as Eastern Michigan would get. NIU went 9-for-10 at the free throw line to close the game and win by nine.

"We needed a game like this where we played with the lead, handled that lead and closed things out," Carlsen said. "That's especially so when we have so much basketball to play in a short amount of time. We've talked about this upcoming stretch of games being difficult but also really important for us for to get moving and get going again. Getting the contributions we did today from so many different people helped with that."

NIU finished the game shooting a season-high 57.1 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from the three-point line. The Huskies' bench contributed 19 points, second-most this season in a single game for NIU as all nine players that saw action scored. NIU also outrebounded the Eagles 38-25. Combs led Eastern Michigan with 23 points.

NIU is back at the Convocation Center on Monday, Jan. 24 to face the Akron Zips at 6 p.m. for Fan Appreciation Night. Fans can purchase $2 general admission tickets at the following link. The first 100 fans entering the Convocation Center Monday night will receive a free NIU cup. The first 100 students will receive free pizza. Fans will also be able to enter a raffle for a chance to win a basketball signed by the NIU women's basketball team.
 
Huskie Flex Plans are now available for the 2021-22 basketball season. 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 at the box office prior to the game. Tickets can be purchased online at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
 
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