DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team was held to a season-low 49 points Wednesday night in a 67-49 loss to the Eastern Michigan Eagles at the NIU Convocation Center in the opening game of the Mid-American Conference season.
 
Eastern Michigan (4-7, 1-0 MAC) held NIU to season-lows of 26.7 percent from the field and 11.1 percent from the three-point arc in its third straight win. The Huskies' loss snapped a three-game winning streak as well as an eight-game home court winning streak.
 
"We have to go back and regroup and really just add some toughness to our game," Carlsen said. "Eastern Michigan was able to come out and do well in the areas that have given them some success in recent games. We were just a little bit tentative and never in attack mode."
 
Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) led the Huskies with 12 points, five rebounds and four assists. Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) added nine points, going 7-for-8 from the free throw line.
 
The Eagles' starting frontcourt of Tayra Eke and Kennedi Myles scored 10 of the first 14 points for Eastern Michigan as the visitors raced out to a 14-3 lead with 4:32 to go in the first quarter. NIU closed within eight points at the end of the period as two Brooke Blumenfeld (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) jumpers and a Shannon Blacher (Burr Ridge, Ill./Montini Catholic) free throw made the score 16-8.
 
After shooting 19 percent from the field in the first quarter, NIU's (6-6, 0-1 MAC) offense showed some life in the second. Trailing 24-14 with 4:34 to go until halftime, the Huskies went on a 7-3 run over 2:21 to get within six at 27-21 with Marable contributing five of the seven points. The Eagles got the lead back up to 10 with 0:22 seconds left before Marable beat the halftime buzzer with a triple that made the score 33-26.
 
The two sides traded baskets to start the third, with a Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) layup putting the score at 40-33 with 3:52 remaining in the quarter. Sparked by a Tayra Eke three to beat the shot clock, the Eagles closed the third on a 9-3 run to take a 49-36 lead heading into the fourth. Just as they did in the first quarter, Eastern Michigan held NIU to 19 percent shooting in the fourth. The Eagles led by as much as 22 in the fourth before taking the 67-49 win.
Eastern Michigan shot 41 percent from the field and outrebounded NIU 54-35. Olivia Smith led all scorers with 13 points. Eke had a double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, adding three blocked shots.
 
The Huskies close out their five-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 6 against the Miami RedHawks. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. For tickets, log on to NIUHuskies.com/myhuskies or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (8225).
 
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