DeKALB | In a battle of northern schools, NIU came out on top Thursday night against Northern Iowa 71-64 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

NIU’s Kim Davis set the tone of the evening grabbing a defensive rebound to start the game. The Huskies (5-3) pulled down 34 defensive rebounds, with 20 coming in the first half.

“Defensively we contested shots and were on it,” NIU head coach Kathi Bennett said. “We really limited them and did a great job on the defensive glass.”

NIU took a 15-7 lead off a three-ball by guard Marke Freeman just under halfway through the first half.

UNI (3-3) later tied the score at 17, but could not keep up with the Huskies’ shooting. Only 15 seconds left in the half, guard Danielle Pulliam sent a message with a fastbreak layup after a steal to take a 34-27 lead into the locker room.

The Huskies finished the half with a 59.1 field goal percentage. On the night NIU shot its best effort of the season, going 23-39 for 59 percent from the floor.

“[We had ] great shot selection,” Freeman said. “We worked the ball inside and out.”

The Panthers took their first lead at 43-42 on a free throw from guard Jacqui Kalin.

Pulliam dropped a free throw with 11:21 left, giving the Huskies a 50-49 lead that would never be caught.

“We relied on our defense and got crucial stops,” Bennett said. “Dani came in and really did a great job on [Kalin]…when she came in that last 10 minutes she shut her down. That was huge for us.”

Freeman scored a season-high 30 points, along with pulling down 12 boards. Davis dropped a career-high 15 points, while center Ebony Ellis ended her night with 12 points and five rebounds. Both Freeman and Bennett agreed the team’s performance was the best of the season.

“By far, offensively and defensively,” Bennett said. “We played extremely hard, had a great deal of energy and played as a team. That’s the most exciting thing.”