Poor paint defense and shooting struggles resulted in a 95-62 blowout loss to the Western Illinois University Leathernecks (2-1) to leave NIU women’s basketball (0-2) searching for its first win.

The Huskies started strong with a 7-point run to begin action, but it was a 12-point streak by Western Illinois starting at the end of the first quarter that set the tone for the game.

Western Illinois never lost the lead it gained with five seconds remaining in the first quarter, outscoring the Huskies in every quarter of the game in the process.

NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen highlighted the Leathernecks’ effort and early momentum as a key factor.

“They just played harder than we did, and then they got comfortable, and then we got tight,” Carlsen said. “That’s never a good combination.”

The Huskie offense could not get hot, shooting only 36.1% from the field and 21.9% from three-point range. Western Illinois accumulated more successful three-point shots on the day, despite NIU attempting twice as many.

Senior guard Jayden Marable stood out as the lone offensive threat on the NIU side, shooting 58.3% in a 16-point performance.

When asked how to get the offense on track, Marable said it’s about each of them being the best version of themselves.

“I think coach doesn’t really ask us to be anyone else other than the best version of ourselves,” Marable said. “So, continue to be aggressive and take the shots that we usually get.”

Western Illinois dominated near the rim, scoring 48 points from the paint and racking up 43 rebounds to NIU’s 29.

Senior forward Tara Stauffacher highlighted the team’s size in addressing the Huskies’ play in the paint.

“I think this game was a good learning opportunity to figure out how we’re supposed to do that (playing near the rim) – being an undersized team,” Stauffacher said. “We’re going to be an undersized team the majority of the games we play, and that doesn’t give us an excuse not to rebound or not defend while in the paint.”

The Huskies will stay on the road to face the University of Southern Indiana at 7 p.m. Thursday in Evansville, Indiana. Audio streaming will be available through The Varsity Network, and live stats can be found via SIDEARM Sports.