Slow starts continued to plague the NIU women’s basketball team Tuesday at Eastern Michigan.

The Eagles (10-13, 7-5 MAC) jumped out to a 34-17 lead in the first half and never looked back in a 62-43 win.

“Honestly, we are just not executing well at all right now,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “When that happens, we dig ourselves a huge hole early, and we can’t get ourselves out of it.”

The Huskies (11-13, 7-6 MAC) were led by senior guard Kristan Knake who scored 11 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the field.

Jennifer Youngblood, NIU’s leading scorer and rebounder, finished with only eight points and three rebounds. It marked the third time in four games Youngblood failed to reach double figures.

NIU had difficulty stopping senior forward Abby Wiseman, who scored 21 points and added seven rebounds.

Eastern Michigan reached the foul line for 22 attempts, hitting 16, while the Huskies attempted five shots, making three.

The Huskies committed 22 turnovers to just 10 assists compared to the Eagles 12 assists and 15 turnovers.

“We are just not executing well at all right now,” Hammerle said. “Eastern Michigan came out and out-hustled us in every aspect of the game. It just seems as though our heart is extremely small in the big picture right now. We are not playing together as a team. I wish I had an answer.”

Look for an in-depth, behind-the-scenes feature on the Huskies’ road trip to Eastern Michigan for Thursday.