Women’s basketball (11-17, 4-13 MAC) took another loss away from home, falling to conference rival Ball State University (20-8, 12-5 MAC) 76-68.

The loss was the Huskies’ second to Ball State this season, the first coming Feb. 17 at the Convocation Center. The Huskies shot 49.1 percent compared to Ball State’s 41.2 percent, but the Cardinals managed to outscore the Huskies in three of the four periods, capping it off with a 25-14 fourth quarter.

There were five lead changes in the game and NIU’s largest lead was 12 in the second period. The Huskies held the lead for more than 26 minutes but fell apart in the final quarter.

Junior forward Cassidy Glenn led the Huskies in scoring with 23 points. She also snagged five rebounds and an assist in the loss. Freshman guard Courtney Woods scored 21 points to give NIU two 20-point scorers. Woods also picked up a pair of assists and rebounds. Junior guard Ally Lehman continued her recent scoring bursts, contributing 15 points and seven assists.

“I was really proud of the way the kids came out and tried to do what we asked them to do,” said NIU head coach Lisa Carlsen. “You know, we shot the ball well, especially in the first half, but I think their size ultimately was just the difference, on the glass especially in the fourth quarter with second chance opportunities. I’m proud of our effort and if you give that kind of effort on a night-to-night basis, hopefully we can extend our season as long as possible.”

The Huskies will return home as they gear up for their regular season finale this week. They will play Western Michigan University at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.