DeKALB | Marke Freeman and Ebony Ellis got the memo that it was Senior Day for the NIU women’s basketball team.

The Huskies (12-16, 6-9 MAC) duo shined on Saturday at the Convocation Center, propelling their team to victory over Toledo (21-7, 13-2 MAC), 57-53.

“I’m really happy for our seniors get this win,” NIU head coach Kathi Bennett said. “They deserve it so much, and I’m really happy for them.”

Midway through the first half, Freeman helped the Huskies build a lead on the Rockets.

On three consecutive offensive possessions, the redshirt senior connected on two layups and a jumper to put NIU up 17-10. From then on, the Huskies would never surrender the lead back to Toledo.

“Our focus, our discipline, our intensity was there for 40 minutes,” Bennett said.

Ellis provided her own output, with 19 points and 16 rebounds.

“I bet you if I watched film and looked at every shot that was missed that went up, I bet you [Ebony] touched 95 percent of the balls,” Bennett said. “I mean, it was crazy.”

Ellis said she and Freeman have a strong sense of each other’s tendencies on the court after playing together for the past few seasons.

“I think we have great chemistry, and when we’re both doing well, we both help each other out,” Ellis said. “Knowing that we have each other’s backs helps us out a lot.”

The Rockets attempted to recover, but never found a way to get over the hump.

The closest Toledo came to tying or taking the lead was when they were down 44-42 with 3:29 left.

“We knew we’d have our hands full playing here on senior night,” said Rockets head coach Tricia Cullop. “Obviously, they have some pretty special seniors that we’ve had a difficult time guarding in their careers.”

Freeman iced the victory by connecting on all six of her free throws with one minute left in regulation.

There was only one thing on her mind as she stepped to the line.

“Make ‘em,” Freeman said. “I talk to myself at the free-throw line, and a lot of people comment on that and notice that.”

In less than a two-week span, the Huskies have knocked off top two teams in the MAC West in Central Michigan and Toledo.

“It’s just great to get this win,” Ellis said. “Especially going into the MAC Tournament, we know that we can compete with anybody and all we have to do is play our game.”