The NIU women’s basketball team led for a combined 2:20 in Saturday’s game against Kent State at the Convocation Center.

Luckily for the Huskies, eight of those seconds were the final eight of the game in a 56-55 come-from-behind MAC win over the Golden Flashes.

NIU’s Jennifer Youngblood put the Huskies up for good with a layup with eight seconds remaining. Youngblood got a pass inside from teammate Joi Scott, spun right and made the layup for the lead and the win.

“They ran it to a tee,” NIU coach Carole Hammerle said of the game-winning basket. “We wanted to get it low to Jen. It was perfect execution. Joi set a great screen [for Youngblood], came high with it and fed Jen the ball. It was perfect.”

The win was the first for the Huskies over Kent State since rejoining the MAC seven years ago.

The Huskies (8-9 overall, 3-3 MAC) trailed by as much as 16 points in the first half and 13 at halftime. After a steady rally in the second half, Rachel Sillar’s steal and coast-to-coast layup tied the game at 50.

“The second half was a different story, totally opposite of the first half,” Hammerle said. “I’m really proud of this team and the character it showed tonight. It was a physical game, and I just thought we were very very persistent.”

The Huskies were led by Youngblood, who grabbed 11 rebounds and scored a career-high 27 points, a Convocation Center record for women’s basketball. Youngblood shot 10-of-18, while the rest of the Huskies were a combined 10-of-41.

“Thank God for Jen because she really kept us close the entire first half,” Hammerle said.

Kent State’s top two scorers, Lindsay Shearer and Andrea Csaszar, who both average more than 13 points per game, were held to a combined 12 points. Shearer scored three, while Csaszar finished with nine for the Flashes (9-7, 2-3).

“[NIU] came into the game looking to limit our post players,” Kent State coach Bob Lindsay said. “They did a good job defending them, and we did a poor job of executing against what they were trying to do.”

Running with the Bulls

The Huskies will be back in action against Buffalo at 7:05 p.m. today at the Convocation Center.

Buffalo comes into the game 2-3 in MAC play and 4-10 overall.

“My first concern is that with a win like this, that we don’t come out flat against Buffalo,” Hammerle said. “It’s important for us to focus on Buffalo, and we need to respect them a whole lot.”