Women’s basketball splits weekend

By ANDREW PRUSKI

The Pittsburgh Steelers weren’t the only ones guaranteeing victory Sunday.

Sophomore Kylie York of the NIU women’s basketball team joined them, writing on a dry erase board before the game that the Huskies would defeat St. Joseph’s.

The difference is that York’s promise was kept.

The Huskies rebounded after their worst loss of the season, defeating the Hawks 90-82. The performance placed NIU third in the Iowa Classic.

York didn’t rely on fate to make her guarantee come true – she made it happen by having a career game. The guard produced career highs in points and assists with 21 and eight, respectively.

“It was great out there,” York said. “Everyone was playing great, and I think this will help us gain more confidence.”

The Huskies improve to 3-6 on the season while St. Joe’s falls to 5-5.

York wasn’t the only one hitting career highs. NIU freshman Mauvolyene Adams scored a career high 18 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Forward Whitney Lowe also played well, going for 17 points and two blocks in Sunday’s game.

“Mauvolyene gave us a spark,” NIU head coach Carol Owens said. “She did a great job and took advantage where she could.”

NIU’s entire offense was clicking, shooting 60 percent from the field and 70 percent from three-point range, a far cry from its 30 percent performance Saturday when it lost to Iowa 87-43.

“It’s very tough bouncing back from a game like that,” Owens said. “The team did a great job being mentally ready and getting it done.”

The Huskies were without guard Jessie Wilcox, who missed her fourth straight game with a wrist injury.