CLEVELAND | Call the hotel and extend the reservations; the NIU women’s basketball team will be staying in Cleveland.

A 72-68 victory over Kent State in the MAC Tournament quarterfinals has sent NIU to its first semifinal game since the 2001-2002 season.

“This is huge,” NIU head coach Carol Owens said. “Our team understands this is March Madness. They understand they can beat anyone at this point.”

The madness extended to the court Tuesday.

KSU, the No. 2 seed from the MAC East, came out of the gates quickly to grab an 8-0 advantage. The Golden Flashes kept the Huskies off the scoreboard until the 16th minute of the game, when NIU forward Kristin Wiener made a layup.

The Huskies, the No. 3 seed from the MAC West, remembered that first-half leads don’t equate to victories, as they fell to KSU earlier this season after posting a 19-point first-half lead.

NIU began to work its way back through the first half. With 7:11 remaining on the clock in the first half, NIU guard Stephanie Raymond tied the game at 20. Raymond would lead NIU in scoring with 25 points.

Slowly, but surely, NIU put separation between itself and KSU.

“We took the lead at the end of the first half,” Owens said. “We had momentum after that, and never gave it back.”

With 17:54 left in the second half, Wiener hit two free throws to put NIU up by 12. The senior would post a double-double for the day with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

But the Golden Flashes didn’t fade away.

With only 3:12 left in the game, KSU hit two free throws to be behind NIU 61-60. The nail-biting score remained lit up on the scoreboard until 1:24, when NIU guard Tara Michels hit two free throws.

With 59 seconds left in the game, Huskie guard Jessie Wilcox hit a 3-pointer, giving the Huskies a four-point lead. Owens referred to that shot as cementing the victory.

After producing back-to-back wins in the MAC Tournament, Owens feels her team is finally getting the respect it deserves.

“Being in the final four in our conference is huge for this program,” Owens said. “I think we earned some respect with the way we played today.”