HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team opened its 2025-26 season on Monday night, falling 77-56 to the Southern Miss Lady Eagles at Reed Green Coliseum in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

"I knew we had a big test in front of us, but I was proud of our effort especially in the second and third quarters," said head coach Jacey Brooks after her first game as the Huskies' new bench boss. "It was hard to get in the flow of the game early. There were some jitters but at least we were able to get back in it. Southern Miss made some tough shots in the fourth and pulled away."

Junior forward Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) led the Huskies with 17 points, going 7-for-10 from the field. She also had four rebounds and a team-high four assists in 32 minutes.

"Nevaeh's versatility is huge for us," Brooks said. "She has the ability to put the ball on the floor and score, she can shoot from the mid-range. We're happy to have her in there. She's strong and tough and we knew with Southern Miss' size they were going to have a hard time defending her."

NIU (0-1) trailed 20-10 after the first quarter and were down 23-12 before Nadechka Laccen (San Juan, Puerto Rico/St. Bonaventure) sparked an 8-2 run over the next 2:26. Her back-to-back layups, along with a Wingate three-point play and a Maria Serracanta (Sabadell, Spain/Mercer) free throw got the Huskies within five, 25-20, with 5:53 to go until halftime. Southern Miss responded with a 12-3 run capped by a Meloney Thames three-pointer to go up 37-23 with 2:09 remaining in the half. The Huskies cut the deficit to nine with a 7-2 run that included threes from Emilie Sorensen (Waukee, iowa/Waukee) and Marta Hermoso (Seville, Spain/McNeese), making the score 39-30 at the break.

The Huskies closed the gap to five at the 6:24 mark of the third. Reagan Barkema (Story City, Iowa/Bradley) made two threes to make the score 43-38, but her second three was NIU's last field goal of the quarter. Southern Miss responded with an 11-2 run over the next 4:07, getting nine points from Thames and Hayleigh Breland to go up 54-40. The Huskies only got as close as 12 the rest of the way. The Lady Eagles went 5-for-5 from the three-point arc in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 77-56 win.

"It's something we have to continue to work on," said Brooks on NIU's three-point shooting. "We have to make open looks from three. We got some good looks in the second half and Emilie and Reagan made some early in the third to give us some energy."

Southern Miss (1-0) was 12-for-23 from the three-point line while NIU made just five of 19 attempts. The Lady Eagles shot 39.4 percent from the field and outrebounded the Huskies 44-33. Thames led Southern Miss with 16 points and was 4-for-5 from long range. Carly Keats added 12 points and Sakiya White had 13 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

"It's a process and the strides we've shown since the start of official practice have been tremendous," Brooks said. "We'll keep grinding but we'll always defend. We had some tough matchups for Southern Miss tonight but our team stepped up in different ways. We'll continue to grow and get better at both ends."

NIU hosts Milwaukee for the home opener on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Convocation Center. Season Tickets for the 2025-26 season start at $35 for general admission and $50 in reserved sections. Courtside seats and Nelson Suite access is also available. For more information, contact the NIU Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225) weekdays between 9 a.m.-5 p.m. or via email at huskiestickets@niu.edu.
 
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