Women’s basketball (11-15, 4-11 MAC) defeated Western Michigan University (15-12, 7-8 MAC) 80-70 in a record-breaking game for junior guard Ally Lehman.

The game was a nail-biter until late in the second half. The Huskies held the lead for almost the entire game, giving the team an important victory late in the season as the MAC tournament approaches.

Lehman tied an NIU record with 41 points, including 29 in the second half, to help lead the Huskies to the 80-70 victory over the Broncos. She also dished out three assists and grabbed 12 rebounds, giving her 13 double-doubles on the year, the sixth-most in a single season in NIU history.

Lehman’s previous career-high was 27 points, a mark she broke midway through the third quarter. She went 12-19 from the field, 2-3 from three and 15-16 from the free throw line.

She was one of only two Huskies to finish the game in double-figure scoring, followed by freshman guard/forward Courtney Woods, who contributed 21 points and snagged 10 rebounds of her own in the victory. It was the first double-double of Woods’ career.

“Obviously we had the ball in Ally’s hands,” said head coach Lisa Carlsen. “We kept it really simple on the offensive end. I thought the kids really knew what we were looking for in a four out dribble weave penetration. It’s not something that we run very often, but we felt like with the opportunity that we had with the switches that she could get to the paint. The way Courtney was shooting the ball in the way they really had to guard her, it really opened some things up.”

The Huskies will move on following the victory to play the University of Toledo this week. Tip off will be at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center.