The NIU women’s basketball team needed one win to secure a home game for the MAC tournament next week, and it got the job done.

With Whitney Lowe’s help, the Huskies defeated the Toledo Rockets for the second time this season 59-52 at Toledo Wednesday.

Lowe finished the game with 15 points and shot 4 of 5 from the three-point arch.

“Whitney came off the bench and gave us a big boost,” coach Carol Owens said. “She hit some crucial threes and ended up as our leading scorer. That’s important because with people paying so much attention to Stephanie [Raymond] and Kristin [Wiener], we have a third person to go to for more scoring.”

This road win is the fourth of the year for the Huskies. They have two more games remaining, Western Michigan and Ball State.

Coming into the game, Huskies forward Mary Basic stressed the importance of playing team defense.

Basic’s comments came to life Wednesday. The Huskies played solid defense throughout, forcing the Rockets to shoot 34 percent for the game.

In the first half, the Huskies started on a high note with solid play from Wiener. She scored eight points in the first half and made all four of her shots from the field. As a team, the Huskies shot 50 percent.

With the score being 29-21 at halftime. The Huskies looked to have the game in control.

But in the second half, the Rockets started the comeback. With the Huskies leading 40-28 with 12:58 left, Rockets forward Amanda Davis scored four-straight baskets, to cut the lead to 44-41. And with 3:54 left in the game, the Rockets took the lead 48-47.

But after media time out, the Huskies took the lead right back. With 1:38 left in the game, Lowe knocked down a three to give the Huskies a 54-50 lead, which was enough to close out the road win.

“This was a big win,” Owens said. “It doesn’t mater if you win by one or however many, that’s the most important thing. It’s great to be back to .500 in the conference to beat two teams in the league. I know it’s something that hasn’t been done in years.”