NIU women’s basketball (5-22, 2-13 MAC) dropped its eighth consecutive conference matchup Saturday in a 65-60 loss against Western Michigan University (8-17, 4-10 MAC).
The Huskies trailed by as many as 19 points in the second half and despite cutting Western Michigan’s lead within one possession multiple times, NIU was never able to rally a comeback.
The Huskies’ slow offensive start put them in an early hole. NIU put up just 18 points in the first half, finishing with only four of the nine players scoring.
“I was proud of our effort in the second half,” said NIU women’s basketball head coach Jacey Brooks. “I wish we wouldn’t have gone down as much as we did in the first half. We made some big plays, hit some threes, but every time we cut it to two, they seemed to hit a big shot.”
Freshman guard Sa’Mahn Johnson helped fuel the Huskies’ near second-half comeback, leading the team with 11 second- half points and scoring 14 for the game.
Three other Huskies had eight or more points in the second half as the team put up 42 points in the final 20 minutes of the game.
The Huskies shot 46% from three in the game, with Johnson leading the team going 3-of-4 from deep. The Broncos shot 28% from three, going 9-of-32 from beyond the arch.
Graduate student guard Nadechka Laccen was one of three Huskies to post double figures, scoring 10 points in 22 minutes. Laccen saw limited time on the court due to foul trouble, eventually fouling out late in the fourth quarter.
Senior guard Maria Serracanta tied for the team lead in points, scoring 14 while playing all 40 minutes during the contest against the Broncos.
Serracanta, the team’s leader in assists this season, dished out four dimes while only turning the ball over once.
“She (Serracanta) does a great job of finding her teammates,” Brooks said. “She knows where the openings are going to be within our offense. I’m proud that she was able to step up and hit some big threes for us. She is a good shooter. I always want her to look for her shot more.”
Junior forward Nevaeh Wingate and freshman guard Emilie Sorensen, two of NIU’s three leading scorers on the season, both put up zeroes in the first half.
Wingate finished the game with eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
Sorensen, the Huskies’ leading three-point shooter, scored nine points in the contest with all nine of her points coming from inside the arc and the free throw line.
Sorensen was also the team leader in rebounds, grabbing nine boards in the loss.
UP NEXT
The Huskies’ next game will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center to take on Eastern Michigan. Live stats for the game will be available via SIDEARM Sports.
“We’ll take this bye week and be able to recharge a little bit mentally and physically and then we’ll be able to get after it in these last three games.” Brooks said.
