YPSILANTI, Mich. - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team had a chance to win the game in regulation, and twice in the final seconds of overtime to tie the game, Saturday against the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the George Gervin GameAbove Center but came up on the short end of a 66-61 score.

"We're going to look through the first through fourth quarters and see if we don't put ourselves in that spot if we take care of the ball better," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We got good lucks and the shots didn't go in."

Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) and A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) combined to score 46 of the Huskies' 61 points. Koker led all scorers with 25 points, one shy of her season-high, and added five rebounds. Davis had her 11th double-double of the season with 21 points and 13 rebounds, scoring 12 points in the fourth quarter alone.

NIU (10-7, 2-4 MAC) led 26-24 at halftime but Eastern Michigan used a 6-2 run to tie the game at 30 with 5:43 left in the third on a Ce'Nara Skanes basket. The Huskies broke the tie with five straight points on a Davis three-point play and two Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) free throws to take a 35-30 lead with 4:11 to go in the quarter. NIU grew its lead to six in the final minute when Hunter found Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) under the basket for a layup that put NIU up six, 41-35.

The Huskies took their largest lead of the game at the 9:10 mark of the fourth when a Davis layup made the score 47-40. Sparked by two Olivia Smith threes, Eastern Michigan went on a 12-2 run over 3:13 to take a 52-49 lead with 5:57 to play in regulation. Davis answered with five points of her own to put the Huskies up 54-42 with 4:53 left. The Eagles then scored the next five points to take a 57-54 lead with 2:35 to go in the fourth. NIU went to Davis again, and the senior forward tied the game  at 57-57 with a three-point play with 2:08 to go. The Huskies had a chance to win the game in regulation but Sidney McCrea's (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) corner three rimmed out to force overtime.

Eastern Michigan (10-7, 2-4 MAC) scored first in extra time on an Irekpitan Ozzy-Momodu layup. The Huskies then got baskets from Koker and Emily Meinert (Galesburg, Ill./Parkland College) to take a 61-59 lead with 2:30 to go. Ozzy-Momodu gave the lead back to the Eagles with a three-point play with 0:39 left in overtime, making the score 62-61. Two free throws from Lachelle Austin put Eastern Michigan up three, 64-61 with 0:22 seconds left, giving NIU one last chance to force a second overtime. Koker had two chances from the three-point line but could not make the tying basket.

"I was really proud of our fight today," Carlsen said. "We did a great job competing, and when it comes down to it Eastern made a couple extra plays that made the difference."

The two teams traded baskets early and often in the first half. The Huskies held a 10-7 lead 2:55 into the game, with all five starters making the first five baskets. Eastern Michigan took its first lead at the 3:10 mark when a Lachelle Austin three put the Eagles up 15-14, and EMU led 18-17 after the first. Koker came alive in the second quarter, scoring eight of the Huskies' nine points to give NIU a 28-26 halftime lead.

Eastern Michigan shot 41.9 percent from the field with the Huskies shooting 39.1 percent. NIU outrebounded the Eagles 42-33. Austin led Eastern Michigan with 23 points as Skanes added 17 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

NIU returns to the Convocation Center floor on Wednesday, Jan. 25 to take on the Kent State Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. For tickets, log on to NIUHuskies.com or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225). General Admission tickets are $6 with reserved seats at $8.
 
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