NIU women’s basketball suffered a 77-56 loss on Tuesday to the University of Southern Mississippi by a Golden Eagles’ three-point barrage.
The Huskies and the Eagles had polar opposite shooting nights from three, with Southern Miss making seven more threes and finishing with a three-point percentage of 52%, twice as much as NIU’s at 26%.
NIU shot 2/11, 18.2%, from three in the first half, compared to Southern Miss’ 6/13, 46.2%. The Huskies’ shot marginally better in the second half, going 3/8 from beyond the arch.
“Southern Miss is a very talented team,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Jacey Brooks. “They have weapons all over the court, they have size inside, they have shooters and they have really good ball handlers. We had a really big test in front of us but I was really proud of our effort.”
The Huskies’ offensive struggles weren’t limited to its three-point shooting, as NIU shot just 38% from the field.
NIU also lost the turnover battle, only forcing 10 turnovers in the contest while committing 18, 11 of which came in the second half.
“We need to make smarter passes,” NIU junior forward Navaeh Wingate said. “If someone is getting pressed we need to go help them out. Just look for the open person and make smarter decisions.”
Southern Miss commanded the offensive and defensive glass in the game, outrebounding the Huskies 44-33. The Golden Eagles also notched 15 offensive rebounds to NIU’s five.
The discrepancy in offensive rebounding by the two teams led Southern Miss to lead the game in second chance points, 15-9.
The only quarter the Huskies won on Monday was the second quarter, outsourcing Southern Miss 20-19. The Huskies were outscored 58-36 in the other three quarters.
Wingate was the Huskies’ leading scorer at the half, scoring 12 points on 5/7 shooting from the field and 2/5 from the free throw line. Wingate also collected three boards and two assists.
“I was trying to get to the basket and attack,” Wingate said. “That was the best thing that we could do to attack their post. When I drove I also tried to kick the ball out to my teammates to try and keep them involved.”
Wingate finished the game as NIU’s leading scorer, as well as the game’s leading scorer in her first official contest as a Huskie.
Wingate totaled 17 points, the only Huskie to finish in double figures, on 7/10 shooting from the field. The St. John’s transfer also recorded 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks.
Freshman guard Emilie Sorenson was the Huskies’ second highest scorer, finishing the contest with 9 points on 3/7 shooting from the field and 2/5 from three point range.
Sorenson was one of two Huskies on Monday to make multiple three point shots, along with senior forward Reagan Barkema who went 2/4.
“Emilie and Reagan were able to come in and hit some threes, especially in that third quarter to get us going,” Brooks said. “We have to be better, we don’t want to shoot 26% from three consistently.”
The Huskies’ next contest will be against the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee at 7 p.m. Friday in the Convocation Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via SIDEARM Sports.
