The women’s basketball team extended its win streak to three after a Mid-American Conference 93-83 win against the Ball State University Cardinals Saturday.

The Huskies now have a 14-8 overall record and a 6-4 record in conference play. After the win, NIU is now only 1.5 game out of first place in the MAC West division.

The two teams played pretty even in the first, third and fourth quarters. A big second quarter wheen the Huskies outscored Ball State 23-13 was all NIU need to grab the conference win.

Head Coach Lisa Carlsen said her team created enough stops on defense to squeak out a strong win.

“We came out hot and got going early,” Carlsen said to NIU Athletics. “There were some really good offensive possessions on both ends tonight, and what it came down to was we got a couple more stops and did a really nice job on the glass. That was the difference.”

NIU’s offense started off hot, shooting 50 percent from the floor and knocking down two 3-pointers in the first quarter. Ball State had similar success shooting the ball going 55.6 percent from the field and took the lead 27-26 going into the second quarter.

Senior guard Mikayla Voigt and junior forward Ally May led the Huskies with eight points and eight rebounds combined.

NIU took control of the game in the second quarter, forcing four turnovers and out-scoring the Cardinals 23-13.

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The Huskies continued their hot start shooting 62.5 percent from the floor with junior guard Myia Starks adding six points in the quarter.

The Huskies took the lead heading into the half 49-40, led by Voigt with 12 points at the break.

Voigt led the charge for the Huskies, scoring 10 of her 25 second-half points in the third, while knocking down two 3-pointers.

NIU held its lead in the fourth quarter even though its shooting cooled off, shooting 41.7 percent from the field. The Cardinals struggled from the field as well, shooting 40 percent from the field in the final quarter.

Voigt scored a game-high 37 points while knocking down eight 3-pointers. Her scoring outburst was the third time this season she surpassed the 30-point mark.

Voigt said she credits her high scoring to her teammates’ ability to find open shots.

“We love seeing the ball go in the basket,” Voigt said to NIU Athletics. “I credit that to good ball movement and really great passes. It’s easy when you’re open and get a good pass and knock it down.”

The Huskies record now sits at 14-8 overall and 6-4 in the MAC. They will return to action 6 p.m. Wednesday against Miami of Ohio University in Oxford Ohio.