Every player dreams of being the star.

For NIU guard Marke Freeman the dream came true last night in NIU’s 76-72 win over Ball State.

During the Huskies’ Tuesday practice, NIU assistant coach Molly Murray told Freeman she could be the key against the Cardinals (11-7 overall, 4-1 MAC).

“I just remember coach Murray telling me before the game they have never seen you play, they don’t know anything about you and you can be a major difference in this game,” the redshirt sophomore said. “That’s what I went to sleep to last [Tuesday] night, and that’s what I woke up to.”

NIU (9-9, 4-1) was looking for a difference maker. As a player, head coach Carol Owens went 2-1 against BSU. As a coach, however, Owens was 0-9 against the Cardinals.

Looking for her 50th win as a coach, Owens knew she had to use her bench. In recent games, players like forward Aileen Rossouw and guard Sarah Rogers have given Owens the spark she needed.

But last night was Freeman’s turn.

“Markee was huge for us. [BSU] just didn’t have an answer,” Owens said. “She was quicker. She was crafty. She got the right people the ball. She got to the basket. She was huge.”

The guard scored 12 points, the most of any player coming off the bench. Overall, NIU’s bench put up 27 points, compared to BSU’s four.

But Freeman did more than just score. The guard dished out a career-high seven assists, with some of them coming at critical times.

Holding onto a one-point lead, Freeman dished the ball across court to fellow guard Jessie Wilcox. The senior pulled up and unleashed a 3-pointer. After that shot, NIU pulled away never letting the Cardinals come within four points again.

“She created quite a bit,” BSU head coach Kelly Packard said. “She probably was a little bit more confident than I expected. I expected pressure to bother her a little bit.”

But the pressure didn’t bother Freeman one bit. She thrived on the noise, the excitement, the joy of being the star player.

Instead of feeling nervous, confused or uneasy, the guard felt nothing.

“At home we should feel nothing,” Freeman said. “You should not feel scared, you should not feel nervous about anything.”