CHICAGO - The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team held a 43-42 edge over the DePaul Blue Demons midway through the third quarter Wednesday night at Wintrust Arena, but DePaul closed the quarter on an 18-5 run and pulled away for an 85-65 win.
"We really set the tone early on the defensive end," said head coach
Jacey Brooks. "We came out ready to play and had an early response to the loss Friday at Bradley. It's still early in the season and we're looking for the right mix so we can continue to get better.
Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) led NIU with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes.
Sa'Mahn Johnson (Columbus, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) and
Ashlynn Brooke (Logansport, Ind./Ball State) each had 10 points.
NIU (1-2) opened the game on a 7-2 run in the first 2:53 capped by an
Alecia Doyle (Carterville, Ill./SEMO) fast break layup. Doyle extended the lead to six with a three-pointer at the 5:50 mark, making the score 10-4. After a Louis Volker three-point play cut NIU's lead in half, Wingate and
Emilie Sorensen (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee) made back-to-back layups to give the Huskies a 14-7 lead with 4:37 left in the first. A Doyinsola Lijirin layup sparked a 10-2 run that put the Blue Demons up 17-16, but Johnson put in a jumper in the final five seconds to give NIU an 18-17 lead.
DePaul (4-0) and NIU traded the lead three times early in the second. A Mikaia Litza three-point play put the Blue Demons in front 24-22 with 6:43 left in the first half. The Huskies responded with a pair of Sorensen free throws and a three-pointer by Brooke to go up 27-24 at the 5:18 mark. The Blue Demons came back with six of the next seven points to take a 30-28 advantage with under four minutes to go in the first half. NIU took a 32-31 lead on two
Fiona Madigan (North Bay, Ontario/Orangeville Prep) free throws at the 2:52 mark, but those would be the Huskies' last points of the half. Lijirin put in a layup before the horn sounded to give DePaul a 33-32 halftime lead.
The Huskies scored the first four points of the third quarter as baskets from Doyle and
Anna Stromberg (Andover, Minn./Radford) put NIU up 36-33 just over a minute in. NIU led 40-37 when a Kate Clarke layup and an Ally Timm three put DePaul in the lead 42-40 at the 6:02 mark. Johnson answered with a three-point play to give NIU the edge, 43-42, with 5:47 left in the third. DePaul then went on a 10-4 run over the next 3:54 with two Clarke lay-ins giving the Blue Demons a five-point lead at 52-47. NIU closed the gap to four but DePaul scored the final eight points of the quarter to go up 60-48. That 8-0 run extended into a 18-1 run in the fourth quarter as back-to-back threes from Clarke and Litza put DePaul up 21, 70-49.
"We played really good basketball for 25 minutes tonight," Brooks said. "After the media timeout in the third DePaul got some transition scores. We missed some layups and they made some threes at the other end. We've got to be able to be more consistent and stop those runs sooner."
DePaul shot 54.3 percent from the field in the second half, finishing the game at 48.4 percent. NIU shot 36.4 percent from the field and was 14-for-25 at the foul line. The Huskies forced 23 turnovers, turning them into 25 points. The Blue Demons held a 49-32 rebounding edge. Clarke led all scorers with 20 points and added nine rebounds. Volker had 15 points and six rebounds.
NIU returns to the Convocation Center on Tuesday, Nov. 17 to take on the SIUE Cougars. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m. For tickets, log on to
NIUHuskies.com/tickets or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
—NIU—
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