Women's Basketball | February 6

DeKALB, IL – The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team opens a three-game homestand on Saturday against the Texas State Bobcats at the NIU Convocation Center at 1 p.m. CT.
 
Tickets are on sale at NIUHuskies.com/tickets and by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). NIU Athletics is celebrating National Girls and Women In Sports Day Saturday. NIU will host a pregame youth clinic in conjunction with the National Girls And Women In Sports Day game on Saturday. 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. Registration opens at 11 a.m. and the clinic starts at 11:45.
 
Saturday's game is the second round of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with the radio broadcast on NIUHuskies.com.
 
NIU (4-18, 2-9 MAC) shot a season-high 87.5 percent from the free throw line Wednesday night in a loss at Ball State. The Huskies were 14-for-16 from the line in the game, marking the 10^th time in the last 12 games NIU made double digit free throws. It was the first time in five games the Huskies shot 70 percent or better at the free throw line. The last time NIU shot 80 percent or better was March 8, 2025 when the Huskies shot 86.7 percent at Miami.
 
Nevaeh Wingate (Liverpool, N.Y./St. John's) was 5-for-5 from the foul line on Wednesday night, leading the Huskies with 12 points. It was her 14^th game in double-figure scoring this season. She also had three assists at Ball State for her fifth game this year with at least 10 points and three assists. Wingate is seventh in the Mid-American Conference in steals with 2.05 per game.
 
Sa'Mahn Johnson (Columbus, Ohio/Reynoldsburg) scored 10 points off the bench at Ball State. Of her six double-figure scoring games this season, five have come in a reserve role. Johnson accounted for all 16 of NIU's bench points at Ohio on Jan. 17 and at Eastern Michigan on Jan. 24.
 
Texas State (10-12, 6-6 SBC) is also coming off a loss on Wednesday night, 61-57 against Georgia Southern. The Bobcats shot 46.9 percent from the field but committed 23 turnovers which led to 13 Georgia Southern points. Saniya Burks led Texas State with 17 points as Kyra Anderson added 14 points and nine rebounds. Burks leads the Bobcats in scoring at 14.1 points per game. Texas State is third in the Sun Belt in scoring defense, allowing 63.1 points per game.
 
Saturday's game is the second meeting all-time between NIU and Texas State. The Bobcats earned a 79-55 win on Dec. 6, 1996. NIU has won both of its home games in the MAC-SBC Challenge, defeating Georgia Southern 91-84 on Feb. 10, 2024 and Louisiana by a score of 57-55 on Nov. 4, 2024.
 
The Huskies continue their homestand against UMass on Tuesday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m.
 
--NIU--