The Illinois-Chicago Flames were too hot to handle for a cold-shooting women’s basketball squad.

The Huskies (1-1) shot 27.8 percent from the field as they lost to the Flames (2-0), 61-47, Monday at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. The Flames shot 43.6 percent from the field.

“We’re really struggling shooting the ball,” said head coach Kathi Bennett, according to an interview on NIUTube. “It’s a good sign that the shots that we are getting are pretty open, and so those are good signs. … But, tonight was just a horrendous shooting night for us, and hopefully that can change. You can’t win many games shooting 27 percent.”

The Huskies tried to make it a game late, getting within nine points, 54-45, with 3:16 to play. But, they had dug themselves into too big a hole, trailing by as many as 19 points, 48-29, in the second half.

Although the Huskies had a brief stint of hot shooting that got them within single digits, they finished 7-21 (33.3 percent) from the field in the second half. They shot 8-33 (24.2 percent) from the field in the first half.

Despite not shooting the ball well, the Huskies held the lead on four occasions in the first half, going up by as many as three points. There were seven lead changes and two ties.

The Flames broke a 16-16 tie with 8:29 to play in the first half and never looked back. They closed out the first half on a 14-6 run and took a 30-22 lead into the locker room.

The Flames opened the second half on an 18-7 run where they took control of the game. The Huskies couldn’t claw their way out of that hole, losing for the first time this season, 61-47.

For the second game in a row a freshman led NIU in scoring. Forward Renee Sladek paced the Huskies with 14 points, while fellow freshman Kelly Smith chipped in 10 points.

“Renee doesn’t back down; she is one of the best competitors,” Bennett said, according to an interview on NIUTube. “Even when it’s ugly, you gotta love what she does. She’s fearless and only will get better. Her and Kelly, they’ve shown so much, and as the season wears on they’re not going to be freshmen because they’re going to have so much game experience by the time the MAC starts.”

Flames forward Ruvanna Campbell, the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year, filled up the stat sheet with 15 points, 23 rebounds, eight assists, three blocks and two steals.

The Huskies were out-rebounded by the Flames, 45-32, and the Flames put in 15 second-chance points to NIU’s two points. The Flames also controlled the paint, outscoring the Huskies 34-20.

“They out-athleticed us, and I thought we held our ground,” Bennett said, according to an interview on NIUTube. “If we could have made some shots early it would have been interesting.”