DeKALB – NIU women’s basketball kicked off its first regular season game with a 75-62 loss against the Arkansas State University Red Wolves. 

As a team, the Huskies struggled to knock down shots, forcing them to play from behind throughout the game. They finished with a 34.3% field goal percentage and shot 25.7% from behind the arc. 

Fifteen turnovers restricted NIU and was part of why it only held the lead for 50 seconds of the game.

Redshirt senior guard Grace Hunter led the team in scoring –  while matching her career high with 19 points. Hunter also added 5 rebounds and 4 assists.

“You know, our style of play is run and gun, so it felt good to be able to do that,” Hunter said. “I think pretty much all my shots, my teammates created for me, so I didn’t even have to really work for them.”

Senior forward Brooke Stonebraker also shined, putting up 11 points and 14 rebounds in her first career start. 

Junior guard Izzy Higginbottom led the Red Wolves in scoring with 31 points. Higginbottom also logged 8 rebounds and 6 assists. 

As a team, Arkansas State shot 44.3% from the field and 37.5% from three. 

The contest started off slow, but the Red Wolves were able to maintain a lead throughout the first half until the Huskies went on an 11-0 run after being down 31-22. 

The run ended with a buzzer beater jumpshot from junior guard Laura Nickel. The Huskies went into half up 33-31, their only lead of the day. 

Following halftime, NIU’s momentum halted after a 10-0 Arkansas run. Nickel went down with an injury shortly after the run, leading to an 11-point deficit for the Huskies going into the fourth quarter. 

“It does impact everyone on the court and everyone on the bench … we know that she (Nickel) gives a lot to the team,” Stonebraker said. “We just want to make sure that everyone is healthy.” 

Redshirt junior guard Sidney McCrea put the first points on the board in the fourth quarter, knocking down her first three of the game. Hunter parlayed that with a three of her own, cutting the deficit to 8. 

Despite the hot shooting to start the quarter, the Huskies could not keep up with the Red Wolves’ 17 fourth-quarter points, resulting in the loss. 

UP NEXT 

The Huskies’ next game is at 1 p.m. Sunday in Macomb, Illinois, against Western Illinois University. Streaming will be available through ESPN+, live stats are accessible via SIDEARM Sports and radio broadcast will be available on 94.9 WDKB.