With one minute left, a three-point lead and all the momentum, the NIU women’s basketball team controlled the outcome of its biggest game of the year.

It let the game slip out of their hands, much like the ball, as three key turnovers in the final minute sealed the Huskies’ fate Saturday against Bowling Green.

NIU controlled the tempo of the game until a Jessie Wilcox pass off the inbound found its way into, then out of, Becky Smith’s hands with 1:07 remaining. This only resulted in a one-point swing, but the damage had been done. NIU’s poise left the court, followed shortly by the basketball.

“Down the stretch, with a minute and a half left, I felt like we lost our poise a little bit, with taking care of the ball.” said NIU head coach Carol Owens. “For the most part I felt like we kept control of the game, with the exception of the last minute and a half in regulation.”

After two more turnovers, it was evident the Huskies had lost the cool they’d played with for the previous 39 minutes. NIU played as loose as they had all season in this game, but they were never able to recover it.

NIU couldn’t catch a break until there were just two seconds left in regulation, as Bowling Green sophomore Tracy Pontius missed a layup that would have given BGSU the victory. Instead, the Huskies were thrust into yet another overtime contest at home.

They were unable to recapture their extra-period success, however, as a Pontius trey to open overtime sunk the hearts of the Huskies.

“We had to play catch-up,” Owens said. “There was some [mis]communication in our defense. It was key for them to start out as good as they did.”

Down by five for much of overtime, the Huskies had lost their swagger. Rather then playing loose and having success off the dribble drive, as they had all game, they seemed content to make unaggressive passes, playing tight within their sets.

“Playing from behind with limited time, it’s what we like to do usually,” Wilcox said. “We were on the opposite side for once.”

It’s hard to see the loss as anything more than a missed opportunity. NIU had one of the best teams in the country in the palm of their hand, but just couldn’t close their fingers over the Falcons.

It just goes to show that 39 minutes of great basketball can be torn down by one bad minute.