Heading into this week, the NIU women’s basketball team had yet to win consecutive games.

After Thursday’s contest against Buffalo, the Huskies now have a three-game winning streak.

NIU used a strong first half to take care of business at home, beating the Bulls 77-63.

In the first half, the Huskies (8-12 overall, 4-3 MAC) were dominant. They shot 58 percent from three-point range, as NIU built up a 45-30 lead on Buffalo (10-10, 3-4).

Junior Jessie Wilcox led the way in the first half, scoring 15 points.

“We knew we needed to attack and be aggressive,” Wilcox said. “We wanted to take what the defense gave us.”

In the second half, however, that defense was a little more stingy. Using a full-court press, the Bulls forced the Huskies into 16 turnovers and got to within seven.

“We were back in the game,” Buffalo head coach Linda Hill-MacDonald said. “We played like we were capable of playing. I just thought NIU outplayed us in every aspect of the game.”

Eventually, the Huskies settled down in the second half and got production from everyone.

In the game, NIU had four players in double-digit scoring. Wilcox led all scorers with 22, while senior Whitney Lowe went for 15. Junior forward Shari’ Welton followed up with 13 points, while sophomore Kylie York rounded out the bunch with 10.

“Our defense was getting stops and that gave us confidence on offense,” Lowe said. “We had to take the game little by little and we made some runs.”

Wilcox’s 22 is one away from her season high and two off her career high. She shot 3-for-4 from beyond the arc. A free throw late in the second half put Wilcox above 600 career points. She also moved into No. 10 all-time for three pointers made by an NIU player.

“Jessie’s doing great job in the middle,” NIU head coach Carol Owens said. “Her versatility helps. She does a lot of the intangibles.”

The Bulls were led by forward Jamie Schiebner, who did a little bit of everything, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds.

NIU will attempt to make its fourth straight win on Sunday when it travels to Akron to take on the Zips. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.

Akron is sitting on bottom of the MAC East with a 6-15 overall record, including 1-6 in the MAC.

They are led by freshman guard Keyla Snowden, who averages 13 points per game. She also leads the MAC, making three three-pointers per game.