JONESBORO, Ark. - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team rallied to take a 33-31 halftime lead over the Arkansas State Red Wolves Thursday afternoon at First National Bank Arena, but Arkansas State used a 10-0 run in the third quarter to pull away and win 75-62 in NIU's season opener.
Redshirt-Senior guard Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) led the Huskies with a career-high 19 points. Hunter was 5-for-14 from the three-point line and added five rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) made her first career start Thursday and made the most of it. Stonebraker recorded her first career double-double, scoring 11 points while collecting a game-high 14 rebounds.
"I'm never going to tell players in the program not to shoot the ball when they're in the game," Carlsen said. "It might look like a lot of shots, but I want Grace to take the shots she took. Brooke earned a lot of experience today, playing 35 minutes. She was out there in crunch time and that will help her grow."
Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall HS) each had 10 points and six rebounds. Marable added six assists.
Arkansas State (1-1) built a 20-10 lead in the first quarter, using an 11-2 run capped by a Kiayra Ellis jumper to go up 10. The Huskies closed the gap to six by the end of the quarter. Two Stonebraker free throws and a Nickel layup in the final seconds made the score 20-14.
NIU (0-1) was down by nine, 29-20, with 6:34 to go in the first half after an Izzy Higginbottom step back jumper. The Huskies closed the half on a 13-2 run, scoring 11 straight points to take a 33-31 halftime advantage. Marable scored the first four points of the 11-0 run with a Hunter three cutting the deficit to two, 31-29, with 1:15 to go. Nickel made back-to-back layups, including one at the quarter horn, to give the Huskies a 33-31 lead.
The Red Wolves came out of the locker room and started the second half with a 10-0 run, highlighted by threes from Higginbottom and Mailyn Wilkerson, to take a 41-33 lead just over two minutes into the third quarter. NIU got within three as a Stonebraker layup and Tara Stauffacher (Columbus, Wis./Wisconsin) three-pointer put the score at 41-38 with 6:38 left in the quarter. Sparked by four straight points from Higginbottom, Arkansas State went on a 9-2 run over the next 3:30 to take a 10-point lead 50-40. The Huskies got as close as six points, 61-55, with 6:54 to go in the fourth but that would be as close as they would get.
"In a lot of ways I was proud of the things we were good at today," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "We have to be better from a conversion standpoint. I thought we battled well on the glass, which was good to see against a team with Arkansas State's size. We have to shoot the ball better and this group knows that and we'll get back in the gym."
NIU shot 34.3 percent from the field and was 9-for-35 from the three-point arc. Arkansas State shot 44.3 percent from the field and was 9-for-24 from long range. The Huskies outrebounded the Red Wolves 39-38, turning 12 offensive rebounds into 18 second chance points. NIU also assisted on 15 of 23 made baskets.
The Huskies are next in action on Sunday, Nov. 12 at Western Illinois. Tip-off is at 1 p.m.
—NIU—
