Because of the break-neck pace of Monday night’s women’s basketball game between NIU and the Valparaiso Crusaders, rebounds and inside points became two highly coveted commodities.

Huskies’ forward Tracy Mondek proved to be a chief shareholder of both commodities in NIU’s 120-97 victory. She finished with eight rebounds and a career-high 16 points.

“Tracy had a super game,” NIU women’s basketball head coach Jane Albright said. “Just super shooting, super everything. She scored more points than she played minutes.”

Mondek played only 15 minutes because she is still recovering from the flu and bronchitis. For the past two weeks, she has been in and out of practices and games.

“This is my first game back after being sick for awhile,” Mondek said. “I was really happy with this being my first game back. I had my career-high scoring, and I had plenty of rebounds. It just felt good playing again.”

Even with her ailments, Mondek said a game like Monday’s suits her perfectly.

“I love running games,” Mondek said. “I love the running game, because I like to run up and down the court. I’d always prefer a fast-paced game.”

Mondek and her teammates can now stop and catch their breaths, but not for long. The Huskies will rest for one day before heading to Chicago for a Wednesday night match-up with the University of Illinois-Chicago Flames.