The NIU women’s basketball team picked up its first MAC victory with a 74-59 win over Central Michigan on the road Wednesday night.

Off the bench, freshman Stephanie Raymond scored a career-high 17 points and was 6-of-6 from the field in leading the Huskies (6-8 overall, 1-2 MAC).

“Plain and simple, Lindsay is a shooter,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “The way she was shooting tonight, she could have lined up from NBA range.”

The win moved the Huskies from the bottom of the MAC West Division. Central Michigan remains winless and in last place with an 0-3 record in the MAC.

NIU opened the game on a 12-0 run, with senior Jennifer Youngblood and sophomore Joi Scott accounting for all of the team’s points.

A pair of three-pointers from senior Lindsay Secrest extended the Huskies’ advantage to 27-8 with 7:48 remaining in the half.

Secrest did not start for the first time this season, but finished with 16 points for the Huskies.

All together, NIU had four players finish with more than 10 points in the game. Scott scored 13 points, while Youngblood added 10. Both players also led the team with seven rebounds apiece.

“This was more about us than about Central Michigan,” Hammerle said. “We had been starting slowly the last few games and we needed a change. We needed to think differently. So we came out, and were aggressive tonight and it really paid off.”