NIU women’s basketball (3-2) took down the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2-5) by a score of 67-60 on Sunday for the Huskies first road win over the Panthers since 1995.
The Huskies shot 46% from the field on the day while going 8-for-18 from three.
“We’ve proven throughout the first five games that when we get good looks, we’ve been pretty efficient,” NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen said. “We did a decent job against a really good team of taking care of the basketball, especially in key stretches.”
The Panthers were held to 36% shooting, and the Huskies won the battle on the boards with 39 rebounds compared to Milwaukee’s 31.
EARLY MOMENTUM
The Huskies started strong in the opening two frames. Despite 11 lead changes throughout the first half, NIU came out of the first and second quarter with leads of 5 points and 12 points, respectively.
NIU was trailing 11-6 with three minutes left in the opening quarter before a 10-0 run swung the momentum to the Huskies. Graduate student forward Brooke Stonebraker scored 7 points in the late first quarter run.
The Huskies would make a similar surge at the end of the following quarter. After the Panthers tied the game 25-25 with 3:38 left in the half, NIU went on a 12-2 run for the remainder of the quarter, including back-to-back three-pointers from junior guard Alecia Doyle.
NIU was outscored in each of the closing two quarters, but strong finishes continued to keep the Panthers in the rearview mirror.
“Although we had some turnovers that were unfortunate, there were some people that came in and got a steal or got a stop, ran the clock down,” Stonebraker said. “So, we really appreciate everyone locked in on court and knowing their job.”
KEY PERFORMERS
Stonebraker put up 17 points on the day, matching her season high which was set Wednesday against Chicago State University. The 6-foot-3-inch forward also pulled down 9 rebounds to set a new season high.
“I think just having the mentality of being tough in the paint – not backing down,” Stonebraker said. “So, I think that mindset really benefited me.”
Doyle matched Stonebraker for the team lead in points with 17, marking her fourth-straight game with 14 or more points. The Carterville native went 3-for-4 from behind the arc while adding 3 assists and 3 rebounds.
“If they leave me open, I’m just going to shoot it,” Doyle said. “So, it’s just having confidence and knowing that I’ve put in the work to be able to knock down those certain shots. So, if they do try to go under on screens and allow me to be open at the three-point line, I’m just going to try to take the shot with great confidence that it’s going to go in.”
On Milwaukee’s end, senior guard Kacee Baumhower led the game with 21 points, surpassing the 20-point mark for the fourth time this season. Baumhower also racked up 5 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
KOKER RETURNS
Graduate student guard Chelby Koker saw the court for the first time since the season opener. Koker has been nursing an injury after missing the entire 2023-24 season.
NIU’s 12th all-time leading scorer found 10 points and 5 assists in 20 minutes on the floor. Koker also grabbed 5 rebounds and 2 steals.
“She (Koker) makes us a much better basketball team,” Carlsen said. “There’s no doubt about it. Regardless of what her stat line ever says, just her presence and her being such a good floor general makes such a big difference on both ends of the floor. So, I love to have 10 back in uniform. Hopefully we can keep her healthy.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies return to the court at 6 p.m. Wednesday to face University of Illinois Chicago at the Convocation Center. Live stats will be available at SIDEARM Stats.
