DeKALB | Coming into Saturday’s matchup against the Ohio Bobcats, NIU women’s basketball and Ohio were deadlocked in the all-time series at 13 games apiece.

But the Huskies tipped the scale in their favor with a 56-48 victory at Ohio’s Convocation Center.

Before the game, Bobcats’ head coach Semeka Randall said the keys to the game included NIU’s Marke Freeman and Ebony Ellis.

“Not so much shutting them down as it is containing them,” Randall said in a radio interview.

The Bobcats (6-15 overall, 2-6 MAC) were unable to contain Freeman, as she led the way for the Huskies (9-12, 3-5) on both ends of the court. Freeman knocked down 23 points, while grabbing a career-high 17 defensive rebounds for her third double-double of the season.

“She has such competitiveness in her, and you have to respect it,” NIU head coach Kathi Bennett said. “Whatever it takes, she’ll find a way to do it; 17 boards is crazy.”

More impressive with the rebounding by Freeman is her stature of 5’5”. The Huskies’ team-leading rebounder Ellis, averaging 8.1 rebounds, is 6’3”.

“Marke’s always the person who goes and pounds the ball down,” Ellis said. “She’s low to the floor so when the ball’s on the floor you know she’s going to go get it.”

Bennett said she was impressed with how the team came out Saturday afternoon, after taking an overtime loss in their last game.

Against Ohio, and down 11-6 with 11:08 remaining in the first half, the Huskies went on a 10-point run led by Freeman. Freeman hit back-to-back jumpers and put in a layup on a ball she stole, while guard Courtney Shelton added one of her three-made three-pointers to put the Huskies on top for the rest of the game.

“Marke got us going in the first half, but in the second, how we built our lead was team play,” Bennett said.

The Huskies would open up their largest lead of 17 points with 11:20 remaining, before the Bobcats chipped away little by little. Their efforts were not enough, as the Huskies’ 6-for-11 free throw shooting down the stretch, led by Freeman, was enough of a cushion to keep NIU on top. Despite not starting and wearing a mask due to an orbital bone injury sustained last weekend, season-leading scorer Tenishia Benson led the way for Ohio, putting down 17 points and nine rebounds in 29 minutes of play.

“I feel we had some composure,” Bennett said. “I never doubted we were going to come away with a win.”