DeKALB – Despite a late-game push, NIU women’s basketball (1-2) failed to overcome the University of St. Thomas Tommies (3-0), losing 75-68.
“I think you got to give St. Thomas a lot of credit, you know, especially out of the locker room, I thought they really took it to us,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen. “I was proud of how we continued to fight back. Had a good third quarter, especially coming out of the locker room at halftime. But again, I think we can look back to the first five to 10 minutes, and we need to be better there.”
Sixth-year starting point guard Chelby Koker missed her second game in a row due to an undisclosed lower body injury. Redshirt senior guard Sidney McCrea and junior guard Alecia Doyle filled in her place.
“Chelby (Koker) will be day to day,” Carlsen said. “We talked very early in the season that we have to be careful with her. We’re in it for the long haul. She’s in it for the long haul for the season. So she continues to get a little bit better every day.”
After a monstrous second half, redshirt sophomore Brooke Blumenfeld led the pack in scoring. Blumenfeld totaled 18 points, while also snagging 7 rebounds and dishing out 2 assists.
“I think there was just a lot more energy on the court,” Blumenfeld said. “Also the guards were running really hard in transition, which opened up a lot of things. And, you know, they (her teammates) were hitting shots and it just opened up the floor.”
St. Thomas’ lineup was headlined by senior guard Jade Hill and senior center Jo Langbehn. Hill led the squad with 21 points while Langbehn added 19 points.
The Tommies gained control immediately, opening the game with an 11-1 run. St. Thomas continued to apply pressure, leaving the first quarter up 22-10.
NIU regained competitiveness in the second quarter, outscoring the Tommies 17-13. Despite the late-quarter push, the Huskies went into halftime down 35-27.
Senior guard Laura Nickel led the Huskies in scoring during the first half, totaling 8 points. Nickel’s 8 first-half points bests her previous season high of 6 points against the University of Iowa on Wednesday.
“I thought her aggressiveness off the bounce was really good, and that’s when Laura (Nickel) was at her best,” Carlsen said. “Not just scoring the basketball, but creating opportunities for her teammates. Did a great job on the glass as well.”
Nickel exited the game amassing 12 points and 7 rebounds.
The Huskies flipped the script in the second half, promptly cutting their deficit in half thanks to a pair of buckets from graduate student forward Brooke Stonebraker and Blumenfeld.
Blumenfeld continued to dominate for the rest of the third quarter, totaling 10 points. Blumenfeld’s efficiency was complemented by a go-ahead three-pointer at the hands of Doyle, giving NIU its first lead of the day.
“Alecia (Doyle) really opens up the floor for everybody when she hits her shots,” Blumenfeld said. “It’s been really great having someone like Alecia to play with.”
Shortly after her bucket, Doyle hit the floorboard face first and was escorted off the court by trainers. Shortly after, Doyle showed resilience and returned to the game with a protective mask on.
“I’m proud of her (Doyle) for her toughness to step back on the floor and to finish out the game and hit some key buckets for us,” Carlsen said.
Despite going down hard late in the game, Doyle finished as the Huskies’ second-leading scorer. Doyle picked up 15 points while grabbing 3 rebounds.
The latter half of the third quarter was neck and neck, featuring multiple lead changes and resulting in a 54-54 tie going into the fourth quarter.
St. Thomas swiftly took the lead with a jumper at the beginning of the final frame. Holding on to the lead for the remainder of the fourth quarter, a costly NIU turnover allowed the Tommies to run the time out and solidify the victory.
UP NEXT
The Huskies’ next game is at 6 p.m. Nov. 20 against Chicago State University at the Emil And Patricia Jones Convocation Center in Chicago. Streaming is available through NEC Front Row, listening is provided by NIU All-Access and live stats can be found on SIDEARM Sports.
