DeKALB – A selfless team effort and stingy second-half defense by the NIU women’s basketball team Sunday took down a team of Titans.
The Huskies (4-5) toppled the University of Detroit Mercy Titans (7-4) 75-66 at the NIU Convocation Center. NIU’s victory ended a two-game skid and gave the Huskies their first win over an opponent with a winning record.
UNDERSTANDING THE ASSIGNMENT
NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen was thrilled with her team’s unity and each player’s understanding and execution of their respective roles.
“They understand what I need from them on the court at any given time, whether that’s 3 minutes of playing time or 33 minutes of playing time, it really doesn’t matter,” Carlsen said. “And, I think that’s what I love most about them — is it’s never about them. It’s about can we collectively get it done, and I don’t know if I’ve had a group that’s had a better understanding of that.”
Three Huskies finished with double-digit scoring, led by senior guard Jayden Marable’s game-leading 17 points, one shy of her season-high. Senior forwards Brooke Stonebraker and Tara Stauffacher accounted for 13 and 10 points, respectively. Two more Huskies flirted with double-digit points with senior guard Kortney Drake and redshirt senior guard Grace Hunter each scoring nine.
MAKING THREES, MISSING FREES
The Huskies converted on 26-of-55 (47.3%) field goal attempts, including 9-of-16 (56.3%) shooting from 3-point land. Free throws proved difficult for NIU, who finished 14-of-25 (56%) from the free-throw line.
NIU played the chaser for most of the first half before overtaking UDM late in Quarter 2 thanks to a late scoring combo from one of its veterans. Hunter, one of the longest-tenured players on NIU’s roster, hit the game-tying 3-pointer and a go-ahead jumper in the final 1:08 of the first half to grant NIU a 33-31 halftime lead.
“Momentum is a beautiful thing when it’s in your favor,” Carlsen said.
DEFENSIVE DENIAL
The Huskies hunkered down defensively in the second half to keep a physical Detroit Mercy team at bay in the game’s final stages. In the second half, NIU held its foe to 38.2% shooting, tallied 6 steals and scored 13 points off 7 UDM turnovers.
“We knew we were going to have to stop-score-stop,” Stauffacher said. “We really focused on the defensive side because we knew that was going to build our offense.”
NIU briefly surrendered the lead when the Titans landed a 3-pointer to go up 55-54 with 8:29 left to play. NIU jumped back in front 24 seconds later with a Stonebraker layup and held the lead until the final buzzer.
HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Looking ahead, NIU has four games left of a five-game homestand, a stretch that includes the first two games of MAC play.
The Huskies return to action at 5 p.m. Dec. 18 for their clash against in-state rival Eastern Illinois (3-7) at the NIU Convocation Center.
The game will be available to listen on The Varsity Network and live stats will be provided by SIDEARM Stats.
