DeKALB – NIU women’s basketball fell to the Eastern Michigan University Eagles on Saturday by a score of 76-72 despite going up by as much as 10 points in the fourth quarter. The win grants Eastern Michigan its first Mid-American Conference victory this season.
“We talk all the time about having to put a full 40 together, and unfortunately, we weren’t able to do that,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen. “That fourth quarter was rough for us, really on both ends of the floor. And anytime you do that in this league, it’s sometimes a recipe for disaster.”
With the loss, NIU (12-14, 5-9 MAC) remains at ninth place in the conference standings. As for the Eagles (2-23, 1-13 MAC), the win is their second of the season.
NIU held the lead and momentum for the majority of the game – 69% to be exact – ultimately losing in a shaky fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, four Huskies eclipsed double point figures with junior guard Alecia Doyle, graduate student guard Chelby Koker, redshirt sophomore Brooke Blumenfeld and freshman guard Lexi Carlsen all reaching the mark.
Doyle led the bunch, finishing with a team-leading 19 points. Displaying physicality and toughness, Doyle nearly picked up her second consecutive double-double while tacking on 9 rebounds.
Finishing just behind Doyle in scoring, Koker contributed 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists. Koker hit multiple key shots throughout the game, including a stretch of dominance toward the end of the third quarter.
“We’re a better basketball team when she’s (Koker’s) on the floor,” Lisa Carlsen said. “We trust her decision making and her ability to really find her teammates in good situations, and I think we saw that from her today.”
Coming off the bench, Blumenfeld complemented Doyle and Koker’s play with 16 points of her own. She was also a stone wall defensively, rejecting one Eastern Michigan shot attempt and swiping 2 steals.
“I felt like we stayed together as a team throughout the whole game,” Blumenfeld said. “I think we fought hard in the paint and the guards did a great job on the screens.”
FIRST HALF
Eastern Michigan looked dominant to start, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead after drawing first blood. The Huskies responded promptly, though, with five straight points.
NIU and Eastern Michigan continued to trade blows, accounting for a back-and-forth game. The Huskies weathered the storm, leaving the first quarter with a 19-17 lead.
The Huskies maintained the advantage until midway through the second quarter when the Eagles took the lead off an improbable, ricocheting layup. Initiated by a Lexi Carlsen three-pointer, the Huskies regained the edge with under a minute remaining.
Doyle parlayed Lexi Carlsen’s three with one of her own, giving NIU a four-point lead with under 30 seconds remaining. Doyle dominated the first half, finishing with a game-leading 11 points and 7 rebounds, while sending the Huskies into halftime with a 38-32 lead.
SECOND HALF
The second half was a tale of two quarters for NIU, featuring a dominant third quarter but a freezing cold fourth quarter.
The Huskies held the lead for the majority in the third quarter, capped off by a 9-2 run to close the third quarter. Koker capped off the stretch of dominance with a three-pointer, giving NIU a 66-56 lead going into the fourth quarter.
NIU failed to build on its momentum from the third quarter, though. The Huskies were outscored by 14 points in the final frame. The Huskies scored just six points in the fourth quarter, allowing the Eagles to initiate a comeback.
Eastern Michigan junior guard Brooklyn Thrash opened the scoring three minutes into the fourth quarter, chipping away at NIU’s lead with a jumpshot. Thrash played a pivotal role in the Eagles’ comeback, finishing with 8 points in the fourth quarter – including a layup to bring Eastern Michigan within one point late with under a minute remaining.
From there, NIU resorted to fouling while Eastern Michigan drilled the accompanying free throw attempts. The Huskies’ had multiple attempts at a game-tying bucket to send the game to overtime, but fell short.
Koker took NIU’s final three-point attempt of the game, which was blocked by Eagles redshirt sophomore guard Dara Capaldi – sealing the four-point victory for the Eagles.
UP NEXT
Lisa Carlsen noted how the Huskies can bounce back going into their next game against the Kent State University Golden Flashes.
“Kent is a tough place to play,” Lisa Carlsen said. “They’re (Kent State) a very good basketball team. We did have some success here when they came. We’re going to get refocused and put all of our energy into what it is going to take to beat Kent.”
The Huskies face off against the Golden Flashes at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Kent, Ohio. Streaming will be available on ESPN+, live stats will be updated by SIDEARM Sports and listening will be available through WDKB 94.9.
