Taking it one step at a time paid off for the NIU women’s basketball team in its 69-67 win over the Marquette Warriors Saturday night at Milwaukee.

Before Saturday night’s contest, head coach Jane Albright said she just wanted her squad to take each game one step at a time and to do the best it could. The team did just that, and although it won by one basket, a victory is still a victory.

It was an important win for NIU, now 3-3 in North Star Conference play. Not only was it a NSC win for the Huskies, but it was also their first road-game win in over a month. The last time NIU won away from home was a 79-69 decision against San Diego on Jan. 5.

“It is good to win on the road,” NIU coach Jane Albright said. “I was very pleased with the way my team played.”

It was the first 20 minutes of action that gave NIU its surge. The Huskies shot 50 percent in their floor game during the first half, making 15 of its 30 tries at the hoop.

NIU combined its field goal shooting with a .692 clip from behind the free throw line and came up with a 39-34 halftime lead. Marquette shot 17-of-36 from the floor, which gave the Warriors their only points. The Huskies kept their fouls to a minimum in the first stretch, giving the Warriors no chances behind the stripe.

“I think both teams played hard,” Albright said. “It is good to play a tight game and come through with a win at the end.”

It was a win at the end. With eight seconds to go, Marquette’s Heidi Ach received her fifth personal foul after hacking Carol Owens. Owens stepped to the line and hit both free throws. Marquette took control of the ball and tried for a three point shot, but it bounced off the backboard and NIU’s Gena Stubbs grabbed the ball to end the game.

“It was a total team effort,” Albright said about her team’s win. “It was important for Carol to make those two free throws. I thought Gena played a complete game, and our substitutes did a nice job working the ball.”

In the team effort, four Huskies scored in double digits. Stubbs led all players with 18 points, Owens followed with 16, Tammy Hinchee tallied 14 points and Toby Meeks finished with 10. While Marquette allowed these NIU cagers to shoot, they shut down top-shooter Lisa Foss, allowing her a career-low 7 points.

NIU did its job on defense. In their last meeting, the Huskies allowed Ach to score 20 points, but they only gave up 14 points Saturday night. Defense was actually a major key for NIU’s win. The Huskies were able to keep a tight defense without the cost of unwanted fouls. NIU gathered 13 personal fouls while Marquette had 22.

NIU is hoping to carry this win on the road to fetch two more road victories. The Huskies play at Detroit on Wednesday, and then they travel to Chicago on Feb. 25 to compete against DePaul.