DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team will celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day on Wednesday, Feb. 5 with multiple events before the 6 p.m. game against the Kent State Golden Flashes at the NIU Convocation Center.
 
NIU Athletics will hold a panel discussion in the South Lobby with NIU Hall of Famer Kristin Hoffman (NIU '12) and Cindy (Hemstad) Tucker (NIU '94), a member of NIU's Hall of Fame 1991 women's gymnastics team, along with Huskie basketball alum Kristen Brown (NIU '03) to discuss Growing The Game: Women's Athletics Then and Now. The event will by hosted by NIU executive associate athletic director for sports administration and senior woman administrator Courtney Vinson and is free to attend with the purchase of a game ticket.
 
In conjunction with National Girls and Women in Sports Day, NIU is providing multiple ways to support Huskie Athletics' Women's Excellence Fund, which benefits NIU's nine women's sports programs. By using this link to purchase tickets to the NIU-Kent State game on February 5, a $2 donation will be made to the Women's Excellence Fund for every ticket purchased, with the opportunity to make an additional donation upon checkout. NIU will also host a pregame Youth Sports Clinic at 5 p.m. in Victor E. Court open to children Ages 6-12 with student-athletes from the Huskie women's sports programs, cheerleaders and dance teams.
 
NIU (9-12, 3-7 MAC) returns to the home floor after a loss at Buffalo on Saturday. Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) led NIU with 15 points and four assists against the Bulls. It was the sixth time in the last seven games Koker has led the Huskies in scoring. Over the last five games Koker is averaging 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 46.7 percent from the field.
 
Wednesday night's game features the top-two three-point shooting teams in the Mid-American Conference. Kent State leads the MAC at 35.8 percent with NIU second at 35.7 percent. The Golden Flashes also lead the league with 8.0 three-pointers made per game. NIU's Lexi Carlsen (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) leads the MAC in three-point percentage at 44.8 percent, which puts her 13^th in the country. She is one of eight freshmen in the nation to have at least 45 three-pointers this season.
 
Kent State (15-7, 8-2 MAC) enters the game having won five in a row after Saturday's 73-51 win over Akron. The Golden Flashes outscored the Zips 20-4 in the first quarter and shot 53.2 percent from the field for the game. Jenna Batsch led all scorers with 25 points. The senior is fourth in the MAC in scoring at 16.5 points per game and leads the league from the free throw line at 94.3 percent. The Golden Flashes are second in the MAC in scoring offense, averaging over 76 points per game.
 
NIU goes on the road on Saturday, Feb. 8 to take on Appalachian State in the MAC-SBC Challenge. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. CT. The game is the first of three consecutive on the road for the Huskies.
 
--NIU--