Women's Basketball | February 3

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team looks to build on its season-high offensive performance last Saturday when it heads to Ball State to face the Cardinals Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m.
 
The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and locally on 94-9 WDKB as well as the NIU Huskies app and TuneIn.
 
NIU (4-17, 2-8 MAC) scored a season-high 70 points on Saturday against Central Michigan. The Huskies also had a season-high 17 assists, 15 steals and nine three-pointers, while also shooting a season-high 51.0 percent from the field and 52.9 percent from the three-point line. The last time NIU shot 50 percent from the field and the three-point line was on March 5, 2025 against Toledo.
 
Freshman guard Emilie Sorensen (Waukee, Iowa/Waukee) led NIU with 18 points against the Chippewas, going 7-for-10 from the field with four threes. Sorensen is shooting 63.4 percent from the field over the last five games, averaging 15.0 points per game over that stretch. The freshman leads NIU with 36 three-pointers this season, 14 of which have come in the last five games.
 
Nadechka Laccen (San Juan, Puerto Rico/St. Bonaventure) added 17 points on Saturday with four assists. She also tied career-highs with two blocks and four steals. The graduate guard now leads NIU in scoring at 12.0 points per game. Like Sorensen, Laccen is also averaging 15.0 points per game over the last five games and is shooting 51.0 percent from the field.
 
The Huskies forced a season-high 27 turnovers against Central Michigan. It was the first time this season NIU had forced 20 turnovers or more. Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) led all players with five steals. She is now sixth in the Mid-American Conference with 2.2 steals per game.
 
Ball State (17-5, 9-1 MAC) won at Kent State 101-91 on Sunday afternoon. The Cardinals shot 52.1 percent from the field and were 17-for-21 from the free throw line. Tessa Towers led all players with 29 points and 11 rebounds as Bree Salenbien also had a double-double with 24 points and 10 assists. Ball State leads the MAC in scoring at 78.1 points per game, as well as with 18.9 assists and 44.1 rebounds per game. The Cardinals won the first meeting between the two teams 74-56 in DeKalb on Jan. 3, and lead the all-time series 43-25.
 
NIU hosts Texas State in the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 7. Tip-off is at 1 p.m. CT at the NIU Convocation Center. Tickets are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets and by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). NIU will host a pregame youth clinic in conjunction with the National Girls And Women In Sports Day game on Saturday, Feb. 7. Participants at the clinic, open to children ages 6-12, will interact and play with student-athletes from the Huskie women's sports programs, cheerleaders and dance team at different stations in Victor E. Court prior to the 1 p.m. game.
 
--NIU--