Women's Basketball | February 23
DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team looks to continue it winning ways in February when it hosts the Bowling Green Falcons for Cram The Convo on Saturday at 1 p.m. at the NIU Convocation Center.
The game is the first of a doubleheader with the NIU men's basketball taking on Ohio at 3:30 p.m. Fans attending Cram The Convo Saturday are asked to wear black to "Black Out" the Convo. The Huskie Basketball 2024 pack is available for Saturday's game. This ticket deal includes four lower bowl tickets, four hot dogs, four sodas and four chips for just $40. Go to niuhuskies.com/2024PACK and enter the promo code 2024 PACK.
Along with Cram The Convo, it is also Mascot Day and Pup Club Day Saturday. Mascots from the Chicago Wolves, Schaumburg Boomers, Rockford IceHogs, Windy City Thunderbolts and Peoria Rivermen will be in attendance. Members of the NIU Pup Club can receive a goodie bag when checking in to the Kids Zone on Saturday. Prior to both games the Northern Black Chorus will sing the Black national anthem "Live Every Voice and Sing".
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as locally on WDKB 94-9 FM, the Varsity Network and NIU Huskies apps.
NIU (13-12, 6-7 MAC) won its second straight road game Wednesday night in a 66-57 victory at Buffalo. The Huskies pulled away in the fourth quarter, shooting 53.8 percent from the field to turn a two-point advantage into a nine-point win. It was the seventh time this season NIU held an opponent to 60 points or less with the Huskies winning all seven of those games. The Huskies are now tops in the Mid-American Conference in field goal percentage defense at 38.1 percent and second in three-point field goal percentage defense at 28.5 percent.
Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) led NIU with 15 points and game-high 13 rebounds in the win over the Bulls. It was her third straight double-double and eighth of the season. Stonebraker has had at least 12 rebounds in each of the last five games. She has also scored in double figures in six of the last seven games. In MAC play Stonebraker is leading NIU with 12.3 points and 9.7 rebounds per game.
The Huskies enter Saturday's game winners of four of their last five games. NIU is shooting 42.2 percent from the field over that stretch while holding opponents to 34.6 percent and 20.7 percent from the three-point arc.
Bowling Green (13-11, 7-6 MAC) is in fifth place in the MAC going into Saturday's matchup, one game ahead of NIU and Western Michigan. The Falcons won at Akron this past Wednesday 74-68. Erika Porter led Bowling Green with a game-high 22 points and 16 rebounds. Amy Velasco added 18 points and four assists. The Falcons are second in the MAC in three-point percentage at 34.2 percent. Bowling Green won the first meeting between the two teams 72-54 at Stroh Center on Jan. 31.
Following Saturday's game, NIU will host Toledo in the final home game of the regular season on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 6 p.m.
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