ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Jayden Marable's (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) game-winning 3-pointer from Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) lifted the Northern Illinois University women's basketball team over the Richmond Spiders and sealed the Navy Classic title Sunday at Alumni Hall.

With the come-from-behind win, NIU is off to its first 6-1 start since the 1990-91 campaign.

"I thought in the first half, we got some good shots off, but didn't knock them down. We felt like if we got some of those same shots in the second half, we would have a little bit more success," said head NIU coach Lisa Carlsen.

A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) logged NIU's first bucket of the game, scoring a layup and drawing an early foul. Richmond (5-1) responded with a quick 7-0 run, propelling themselves in front of the Huskies.

In the second frame, Richmond's eight field goals helped them keep a double figure buffer from NIU, which they held for a majority of the game. The Huskies however capitalized on the glass for 12 boards and scored five field goals, including Davis' buzzer-beating putback layup which closed the gap to 12 points before the intermission horn.  

Coming out of the break, Marable logged a layup and Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall) got two points at the charity stripe to cut the Spiders' lead to 36-26. Later in the final minute of the quarter and after Davis' two made free throws, a quick steal-and-score on the ensuing inbound brought NIU within eight. Richmond posted two points at the line on their next possession, but Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) drilled a jumper from Tara Stauffacher (Columbus, Wis./ Beaver Dam) as time expired to keep the Huskies within single digits.

Two minutes into the fourth and final frame, Davis cut further into Richmond's advantage after a three-point play at the stripe. Then, a 12-2 Huskie run knotted the game at 55-55 with under four minutes to play. Back-and-forth action was the story of the final few minutes of regulation until, tied at 64-64 and a minute to play, Marable drained a huge buzzer-beating triple to seal the victory.

"I think our defensive intensity was much better at times, especially in the second quarter, but definitely in the second half. And again, this group believes that they belong on the floor with anybody. Continuing to fight until the end and understanding what it takes down the stretch to get it done. It's a group I'm really proud of,"

Davis notched her third-straight double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and a season-high 14 boards.

"[A'Jah Davis] is a warrior - nobody wants to win more than she does, and she understands how critical she is to what we do on the floor. She really asserted herself there in the second half. And when she does that, she's a lot to deal with,"

Poisson followed with 13 points and Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) had 12 points plus a game-high five assists.

The Huskies shot 40 percent (22-55) from the field, 31 percent (9-29) from deep and 82 percent (14-17) at the line. NIU produced 21 points off the bench compared to Richmond's 17. The Huskies also scored 26 points in the paint while the Spiders recorded just 18.

Champions of the Navy Classic, Davis was named tournament MVP while Koker was tabbed to the all-tournament team.

NIU continues its road stretch Saturday (Dec. 3) when they travel to Charleston, Ill. for a date with Eastern Illinois (5-0). Tip is set for 3:30 p.m. at Lantz Arena.