When the pressure was on, the NIU women’s basketball team handled it with an 81-78 victory Sunday over the Michigan Wolverines at Chick Evans Field House.

The Huskies improved their record to 7-9, while Michigan fell to 8-7. For NIU it was the first win this season against a Big Ten team after losses to Ohio State and Iowa.

The Huskies had to come from behind twice during Sunday’s game and they had to withstand Michigan’s full-court press during tight spots. While the Huskies held a shooting percentage of .432, it was their perfect 11-of-11 from the free-throw line in the first half and 12-of-15 in the second 20 minutes which gave NIU the foundation it needed for a win.

NIU’s cagers were down by as much as eight points in the first half of action at 14-6, but Wolverine turnovers coupled with three fouls gave the Huskies a 19-18 lead. A technical foul by NIU’s Carol Owens did not slow down NIU. The Huskies used their expert free-throw shooting to build up an eight point lead.

The Wolverines were not about to give in. Michigan’s Tanya Powell, who led her squad with 25 points, hit three baskets and Joan Rieger hit two free throws to end the first half down by one point at 39-38.

“We didn’t play with a lot of confidence,” NIU coach Jane Albright said about the beginning of the game. “Once we got our rhythm we did great.

“We had a lot of composure. It was the best team effort I’ve seen here.”

During the last half of the game, NIU came out slow once again and lost its lead. Michigan began to dominate the boards and opened up a 59-51 margin. Gena Stubbs, who led all scorers with 26 points, and Lisa Foss, who scored 22, were the driving forces for the Huskies in the second half. Stubbs shot 6-of-8 from the free-throw line in the last 20 minutes, while Foss hit 4-of-5.

“Free throws are indicative of our concentration,” Albright said. “We hit our one-on-ones and we drove to the basket. We never talked about winning. We talked about executing our offense and defense.”

The Huskies came into the game ranked third from behind the stripe in the latest NCAA Division I statistics as a team with their .769 accuracy. Before missing a freethrow at the end of the Michigan game, Foss had hit 28 straight and was looking to tie the school record of 33 set by Jill Sawin in 1981-82.

“This was the kind of win we needed,” Albright said. “The kids didn’t make mental errors. We were able to draw those fouls. That’s a skill to get to the line.”

Not only did Albright give credit to her team, but she also acknowledged the home crowd. She said it is great to have their spirit while on the floor.