The Huskies lost 54-64 Saturday on the road against Ball State.

NIU continues to struggle in the second half, as it gave up 44 points to the Cardinals after giving up only 20 points in the entire first half.

The Huskies’ loss came despite contributions from junior guard Ashley Sneed and freshman guard Alexis Lindstrom. Sneed continued her offensive streak with 12 points and seven rebounds and has been a crucial part of the Huskies’ offense since the team lost senior forward Satavia Taylor to an injury.

“I think we played a great game,” Sneed said. “I felt that this game was the first time in a long time where we really competed all game. We started off a little slow but at the end of the first half we picked it up and our intensity was great.”

Sneed averaged 4.8 points per game before her recent five-game streak. In her last five games, Sneed has averaged 10 points per game.

“I’m trying to continue to stay aggressive,” Sneed said. “The confidence that my coaches and teammates give me on the floor and off the floor allows me to be there for my teammates. I’m not trying to force it but I’m trying to stay aggressive. When I get the opportunities I want to be there.”

Lindstrom has been another key contributor and led the Huskies with 15 points against Ball State. The freshman shot 4-8 from the field and 3-7 from the 3-point line while managing to sink all four of her free throws.

“We wanted to win on the road and we all came together,” Lindstrom said. “We really were fired up for this game so it was a tough loss. We all know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, so sometimes we set things up for the shooter to really succeed.”

The freshman sharp shooter believes that foul trouble was a big reason for the Huskies’ struggle in the second half.

“We were playing really aggressive and we had a lot of fouls called on us,” Lindstrom said. “I think that kind of put them on the free-throw line more than we wanted so they got a lot of their points at the free-throw line.”

The Huskies had 25 fouls in the game, allowing Ball State to shoot 21-38 from the free-throw line.

Sophomore guard Brittany Carter led the Cardinals with 17 points. Shanee’ Jackson put up 14 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to help the Cardinals shoot 66.7 percent in the second half after struggling to score in the first half.

NIU head coach Kathi Bennett was proud of her team’s performance despite the loss.

“I think we played the best we’ve played in a while,” Bennett said.

Bennett has been pleased with the development of her team, especially with Sneed and Lindstrom’s recent offensive spark.

“Those two work very hard and they are very humble,” Bennett said. “They are two of the most humble kids I have coached.”