The NIU women’s basketball team could only look on as the Huskies’ star player Stephanie Raymond was helped off the court.

The junior guard, who leads the Huskies and is second in the MAC with 17.1 points per game, was injured late in the first half after being held to only two points on one shot and one rebound.

At half, Raymond was escorted by two assistant coaches into the training room for examination.

No word has been released on the seriousness of Raymond’s injury.

“We had to go on with business as usual,” NIU coach Carol Owens said. “At any given moment there’s an opportunity to step up.”

And step up, they did.

Freshman guard Jessie Wilcox and junior guard Mary Basic did their best impressions of Raymond in the second half.

Without Raymond, Wilcox took over the point guard position and had a career high in points with 16 on 3-for-16 shooting, including two three pointers, and was 8 for 12 from the free-throw line.

Basic also had a career high in scoring with 18 on 7-for-12 shooting, with one three pointer, and a career high with 12 rebounds. Basic was a perfect 3 for 3 from the free-throw line.

Basic said that the Huskies’ offense didn’t suffer without Raymond.

“We were a more distributive offense,” Basic said. “We didn’t want the team to think we had our heads down after Stephanie went out.”

Raymond, a third-team All-Mac selection in 2005, was also the Huskies’ leading scorer last year and fourth in scoring her freshman year.