OXFORD, Ohio - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team did not keep pace with the hot shooting of the Miami RedHawks at Millett Hall Wednesday, falling by a score of 88-67.
Miami (11-17, 6-9 MAC) shot over 50 percent from the field in each quarter, finishing the game at 60.3 percent. NIU shot 40.3 percent from the floor but made only 6-of-22 three-point attempts. The Huskies were led in scoring by A'Jah Davis' (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.) 21 points and seven rebounds, snapping a streak of 10 straight games with a double-double. Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) had 15 points off the bench with three three-pointers. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) filled the box score with 13 points, six rebounds and a game-high six assists.
Miami opened the game on a 7-0 run capped by a Maddi Cluse layup at the 8:03 mark. Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall) got NIU on the board with a layup left in the started a 7-2 run that got the Huskies within two, 9-7, with 5:49 left in the opening quarter. The RedHawks then got five straight points from Peyton Scott to spark a 9-0 run to grow their lead to 11, 18-7, with 3:40 to go in the first. Miami shot 71.4 percent from the field in the quarter to take a 26-15 lead.
NIU (14-12, 6-9 MAC) trailed by as much as 17 in the second quarter before a Poisson three started an 11-2 run over 3:19 that got the Huskies within eight, 38-30, with 2:48 to go. A Koker four-point play capped the scoring streak. NIU got as close as six with 2:05 remaining in the half as back-to-back baskets from Poisson and Koker made the score 40-34. Miami rattled off five straight points before a Nickel layup in the final 20 seconds of the half made the score 45-36 at halftime.
The Huskies chipped away at Miami's lead in the third quarter, getting within six points twice. Davis and Koker combined to score the first seven points for NIU, with a pair of Davis free throws making the score 49-43 with 6:34 to play in the quarter. The RedHawks extended their lead to 11 with 5:20 remaining when Poisson made two threes in an 8-2 run that got NIU within five, 56-51, at the 3:47 mark. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter with Miami taking a 64-57 lead going into the fourth. The RedHawks used an 8-1 run early in the final quarter to take a 74-60 lead on a Scott layup with 5:12 to go. NIU made just 3-of-13 field goal attempts in the final quarter as Miami ran away with the 88-67 win.
"We were not consistently good enough on either side of the ball, especially defensively," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "I thought Miami was the more aggressive team throughout the whole 40 minutes. We couldn't consistently keep the ball in front of us. A'Jah did a great job tonight, but we needed to knock down shots from the perimeter."
The 88 points allowed by NIU tied a season-high set in the season opener at Notre Dame on Nov. 7. Miami outrebounded the Huskies 33-26. Scott led all scorers with 26 points. Ivy Wolf added 22 and four assists.
NIU is back home at the Convocation Center on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m. CT against Central Michigan for Senior Day. For tickets, log on to NIUHuskies.com or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
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