While NIU’s students were relinquished of their duties for winter break, the Huskies’ student athletes continued business as usual.
Over the break, some teams shined while others couldn’t catch a break.
HIGH: FOOTBALL WINS FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL
After a rollercoaster of a season ending with an 8-5 record, NIU football capped off its season victorious at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The Huskies overcame Fresno State University 28-20 in a double overtime thriller.
Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Josh Holst, the Huskies posted 368 yards of offense despite a sluggish first half. The Huskie offense struggled straight away as Holst threw an interception on NIU’s opening play.
Despite the interception combined with a 13-3 halftime deficit, the Huskies bounced back in the second half. In the third quarter, NIU scored 10 unanswered points, entering the fourth quarter with a tie game.
The game continued into overtime, where Fresno State and NIU traded touchdowns. The Huskies sealed the victory, converting a two-point conversion in double overtime.
LOW: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL DOMINATED BY MIZZOU
After falling to the University of Iowa 91-73 Nov. 6, the Huskies faced off against their second Power 4 opponent of the season, the University of Missouri.
After travelling to Colombia, Missouri, the Huskies faced their worst loss of the season. Mizzou obliterated NIU 94-55, giving the Huskies their worst loss since November of 2019.
NIU shot 44.4% from the field, a shaky 23.5% from three and an abysmal 37.5% from the free throw line. In comparison, Mizzou shot 52.4% from the field, 50% from three and 82.4% from the free throw line.
HIGH: WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SPARKS RUN, UPSETS TOLEDO
After getting dominated by Mizzou, NIU went on to win four of its next five games, including an upset over the University of Toledo – last year’s Mid-American Conference regular season champions.
The Huskies bounced back with an 82-78 victory over Indiana State University on Dec. 15. After suffering a loss, NIU then defeated Idaho State University and Viterbo University leading into its New Year’s Day matchup against Toledo.
Entering the game as the underdog, the Huskies pulled off the upset and defeated Toledo in a 59-58 thriller.
The Huskies won the game behind sixth-year guard Chelby Koker, who led the team with 16 points. Koker also added 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Graduate student guard Alecia Doyle complemented Koker with 14 points of her own. Doyle also snagged 6 rebounds and swiped 1 steal.
The win is NIU’s second over Toledo in the team’s last eight matchups.
LOW: MEN’S BASKETBALL GOES 1-5 THROUGH BREAK
Following losing its entire starting lineup to the transfer portal, NIU men’s basketball faced uncertain expectations heading into this season. While the Huskies were victorious in their last game before break, the team has since struggled.
Since the Huskies’ 89-70 victory over Benedictine University on Dec. 3, NIU is 1-5.
NIU’s sole victory was a 117-50 victory over United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division 2 East-West University. Despite the dominating performance, it doesn’t mean much as East-West has suffered multiple 50-point losses and averages under 30% shooting from the field.
Against the three other Division 1 opponents NIU played during winter break, the Huskies faced losses by as much as 44 points. In the 101-57 defeat against the University of Northern Iowa on Dec. 7, NIU shot just 32.1% from the field and 20% from three.
The Huskies also suffered a 81-60 loss to Illinois State University and a 75-71 loss against Eastern Michigan University. In their last matchup against Ohio University, the Huskies suffered a 108-70 blowout.
