Women's Basketball | January 31

DeKALB, IL - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team is on the road Wednesday night (Feb. 1) to take on the Ball State Cardinals at Worthen Arena. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. CT with the game broadcast on ESPN+ as well as locally on WDKB 94-9 FM, the NIU Huskies app and the Varsity Network app.
 
NIU (10-9, 2-6 MAC) opens February with four of its first five games on the road. The Huskies will look to get back on track after last Saturday's 66-50 loss to Bowling Green at the NIU Convocation Center. The Falcons used a big first quarter run to take a 22-8 lead. Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall [HS]) and Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) each led the Huskies with nine points. Nickel also had a career-high five assists and tied a career-high with six rebounds. McCrea's nine points came in her first start of the season.
 
The Huskies had double-digit steals for the sixth time this season with 12 against Bowling Green last Saturday. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led NIU with four steals, her sixth game this season with three or more steals. The senior guard is fourth in the Mid-American Conference with 2.2 steals per game. NIU is averaging 8.1 steals per game as a team and are 7-3 this season when having at least eight steals in a game.
 
Wednesday night's game features two of the top-three three-point shooting teams in the MAC. Ball State is second in the MAC with 8.6 three-pointers per game with NIU third at 7.9. The Huskies are 5-2 this season when making eight or more three-pointers.
 
Ball State (17-4, 7-1 MAC) has won its last five games after a 78-58 win at Ohio last Saturday, keeping pace with Bowling Green for first place in the conference. Redshirt-Senior Anna Clephane led the Cardinals with 20 points as Thelma Dis Agustsdottir added 18. Agustsdottir leads the MAC in three-point percentage at 40.5 percent. Ball State is second in the MAC in scoring offense at 79.3 points per game and assists with 16.9 per game.
 
Following Wednesday's game, NIU heads to Buffalo for a showdown with the Bulls on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. CT.
 
--NIU--