NIU women’s basketball (3-3) extended its win streak to three after with a 67-62 victory over the Indiana State University Sycamores (2-4) in the second game of the November Clasico. NIU had five players score more than 8 points, two reaching 15 points or over.
The Huskies finished the contest shooting 35.1% from the field and 35.7% from behind the arch.
Redshirt junior guard Sidney McCrea led the Huskies in scoring with a career-high 20 points. McCrea also snagged 2 rebounds, 2 steals and dealt 2 assists. Senior guard Kiley Bess led the Sycamores with 18 points and 10 in the last two minutes of the third quarter.
“It was really nice to hit some shots and see the ball go in the basket. I think collectively over these past few days, we’ve been able to see that as a team which is really big,” McCrea said. “It really gave us kind of a spark.”
The Huskies held the lead for the entirety of the first half. The Huskies finished the first quarter shooting 43.8% from the field compared to the Sycamores’ 31.6%.
The Sycamores started the second quarter hot, cutting the deficit to 31-23 from a pair of three-pointers from Indiana State sophomore guard Bella Finnegan and Bess.
Following Indiana State’s shooting success, NIU senior guards Jayden Marable and Kortney Drake both hit three-pointers, extending the lead to 42-29.
The Sycamores caught a spark in the third quarter after a three-pointer from Bess. On the following play, Bess stole the ball and finished a layup on the fastbreak. With 12 seconds left in the third quarter, Bess sank two free throws and a three-pointer to give the Sycamores their first lead of the day.
Bess’ 10-point run gave the Sycamores a 51-49 lead at the end of the third quarter.
“We definitely struggled in the third quarter,” McCrea said. “Our coaches did a good job of calming us down and getting us refocused.”
Redshirt senior forward Mya Glanton extended the Sycamore’s lead to four with a layup to open the fourth quarter.
NIU leveled the score after senior forward Brooke Stonebraker and redshirt senior guard Grace Hunter each made two free throws apiece. Indiana State regained the lead with a layup until the Huskies pulled away with a three-point lead after field goals from McCrea and Marable.
“Man, we love Jayden (Marable), she’s been really, really good for us,” McCrea said. “She really stepped up, been kind of that spark, the leader we need when we need a basket.”
The duo of McCrea and Marable combined for 13 points in the fourth quarter, cementing the 67-62 win for the Huskies
The Huskies’ next game is at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday against the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Madison, Wisconsin. Live stats will be available on SIDEARM Sports, and listening will be available through The Varsity Network.
