A few days before Miami of Ohio’s trip to NIU, the RedHawks’ basketball coach Maria Fantanarosa was approached by her MAC Player of the Year Heather Cusick.

While coaches at Miami know the defensive matchups for the upcoming game in advance, they often wait to tell the players.

When Cusick found out just days before the NIU game who she was guarding, a smile came over her face.

A senior, Cusick and NIU guard Kristan Knake have had their share of battles over the years, and Thursday night’s game was no different.

This time it was Cusick and her 17 points that fueled the RedHawks (11-10, 6-4) past Knake and the Huskies, 70-64, at the Convocation Center.

“She is the best,” Knake said. “I kind of thrive on that challenge.”

The challenge was greater for NIU (10-12, 6-5) on Thursday after spotting Miami a 24-5 lead in the first half. After falling behind, the Huskies went on an 8-0 run and trailed by 11 with just over six minutes left in the half.

After a Miami layup with 3:29 left, NIU closed the deficit to 28-24 at the half, completing a 9-0 run.

“They came out with a great deal of intensity,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “They took us out of what we were trying to do. We got a little uptight and started rushing.”

In the second half, the Huskies were able to pull within one point on five different occasions before eventually taking a one-point lead with 1:54 left on a Knake baseline jumper.

But, after NIU took the 60-59 lead, Miami outscored the Huskies 11-4 the rest of the way to escape with a six-point win.

“We knew we had to control the tempo,” Fantanarosa said. “We wanted it to be a fast one.”

While the Huskies were able to take a brief lead, the energy used to get back in the game took its toll on the home team.

“It took a lot out of us to have to battle back like that,” Hammerle said.

As for the battle of the seniors, Knake was able to score a game-high 21 points but made only 2-8 three-point attempts in a losing effort.

Along with Cusick’s 17 points, she added six assists and five rebounds. On her second attempt of the game the 5-foot-8 guard broke Monica Niemann’s school scoring mark (1,608 points).

“It’s always very competitive between us,” Cusick said. “It’s always a challenge when your up against a good player.”