DeKALB – NIU women’s basketball (11-11, 4-6 MAC) overpowered the Georgia Southern University Eagles (13-12, 3-9 SBC) 91-84 in the second part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
Senior guard Jayden Marable keyed the charge with a career-high 26 points. Marable also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 6 assists.
“I think her aggressiveness from the beginning gave her a lot of confidence,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen. “She was able to carry that throughout and make some big shots for us.”
The Huskies had four players log double-digit points. Redshirt junior guard Sidney McCrea had 16, redshirt freshman forward Brooke Blumenfeld had 15 and senior Tara Stauffacher had 11.
“Offensively, I thought we had great balance with a lot of people stepping up,” Carlsen said. “We were able to put 91 points on the board, so that’s a good thing.”
Poor shooting sabotaged Georgia Southern. The Eagles finished 36.3% from the field and 13.6% from behind the arch.
NIU dominated Georgia Southern – first in NCAA in rebounds per game – in the rebounding game with 50 compared to the Eagle’s 40. Senior forward Brooke Stonebraker led the pack with 14.
“She (Stonebraker) has really become a staple for us from a rebounding standpoint,” Carlsen said. “I think her numbers speak to how important she is on the glass for us.”
NIU gained control quickly, opening the game with an 8-0 run. The Huskies sustained the lead for the rest of the contest.
The Huskies finished the first quarter with a 15-point lead after going 6/6 from three. Georgia Southern caught wind in the second quarter, narrowing the lead to three after Eagles senior guard Terren Ward drilled a three with 4:41 remaining the the half.
Ward went on to lead the Eagles in scoring with 25 points.
Despite falling within three points, the Huskies continued to dominate the first half. Marable took over, scoring 10 points in the second quarter and sending the Huskies to halftime up 51-44.
“Just being a player that can do everything, offensively and defensively,” Marable said. “That’s what’s needed from me.”
Following halftime, Georgia Southern and NIU exchanged blows, but the Huskies left the quarter with a nine-point lead.
The Eagles caught wind in the fourth quarter with a 10-2 run, capitalizing on nine NIU turnovers. Georgia Southern cut the deficit to four points with under a minute remaining – lowest since second quarter.
A pair of free throws from McCrea, followed by a free throw by senior forward Brooke Stonebraker sealed the 91-84 victory.
UP NEXT
The Huskies will return home at 11 a.m. Wednesday at the Convocation Center to face off against Western Michigan University. Live stats will be available through SIDEARM Sports.
