Women’s basketball put together arguably its best offensive performance of the season, downing Eastern Michigan en route to Cleveland.

The No. 9 seed Huskies (11-18, 7-12 MAC) defeated the No. 8 seed Eastern Michigan Eagles (17-13, 7-12 MAC), 81-76, in overtime March 10 at the EMU Convocation Center in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Sophomore guard Alexis Lindstrom, who entered the game averaging 4.7 points per game, posted a career-high and NIU postseason-record 31 points on 78.6 percent (11-14) shooting. She drained a tournament-record nine 3-pointers on 81.8 percent (9-11) shooting from beyond the arc and added three assists and two steals.

“What Alexis did was crazy good,” said head coach Kathi Bennett, according to a news release. “She really had such poise down the stretch and wanted the ball in her hands. She was amazing. In the first half she kept us in it. In the second half she won it for us.”

Lindstrom scored the first eight NIU points of the overtime session. The Huskies outscored the Eagles 13-8 in overtime, winning 81-76. The Huskies shot a season-high 53.6 percent (30-56) from the field and scored a season-high 81 points.

“We really worked to try and find better shots, and it helps when you shoot the ball well,” Bennett said, according to the news release. “For Alexis [Lindstrom] to do what she did, that changes everything, and it was a great job. They switched it, up taking away the middle from time to time, and Natecia [Augusta] did a great job to make some incredible catches.”

Junior forward Natecia Augusta dropped a career-high 24 points on 62.5 percent (10-16) shooting. She grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and blocked three shots.

Trailing 48-40 with 15:45 to play, NIU used an 11-3 run to tie the game, 51-51, with 12:08 to play. Augusta converted a 3-point play the old-fashioned way to give the Huskies their first lead, 54-53, with 9:20 to play, since they led 21-20 with 10:37 to play in the first half.

The Huskies built their lead as big as seven points, 62-55, with 6:38 to play, and didn’t trail the remainder of the game. NIU and EMU exchanged the lead four times and were tied on 11 occasions on the afternoon.

Junior guard Amanda Corral, who was named to the All-MAC Third Team earlier in the day, picked up her fourth foul with 17:10 to play. She played the final 12:23 of regulation and the entire overtime period without picking up her fifth foul, finishing the game with 15 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Huskies will take on the No. 5 seed Ball State Cardinals (15-15, 10-9 MAC) in the second round of the MAC Tournament at 11 a.m. March 12 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland. The Cardinals defeated the No. 12 seed Kent State Golden Flashes (7-23, 4-15 MAC), 73-38, today in Muncie, Ind., in their first-round matchup.

NIU and BSU met twice during the regular season, with the Huskies dropping both games. The Huskies lost, 63-50, Feb. 9 at the Convocation Center, and they lost, 67-57, March 5 in Muncie, Ind.