On a night when Jennifer Youngblood was a non-factor on offense, the NIU women’s basketball team managed to mount a comeback and stave off the Central Michigan Chippewas 49-43.

The Huskies (6-10, 2-3) entered the game losing five-of-six games and early on, a sixth loss in seven games appeared imminent. The Huskies opened the game shooting 0-for-11 from the field and quickly found themselves down 16-3 with 7:37 left in the half.

Youngblood, the Huskies’ 5-foot-11 power forward, was held scoreless in the first half, but ended up with six points and 14 rebounds.

“There hasn’t been many games where we’ve seen Jennifer Youngblood shut down like that,” NIU Coach Carol Hammerle said.

NIU forward Lindsay Secrest went 3-for-6 from the three-point line and shot 44 percent overall to tally 11 points in the game. Secrest felt the shot selection in the first half was a significant reason why the team found itself down by 13 points on two different occasions, and 22-16 at the half.

“We were wanting to take good shots but weren’t getting any open looks,” Secrest said. “I thought in the second half, the team did a better job of taking their time and getting some more looks.”

The Huskies did just that, shooting 52.4 percent from the field in the second half, compared to 22.2 percent in the first half. The Huskies were able to close the gap early in the second by scoring 11 points within the first four minutes of the half, bringing the once insurmountable Chippewa lead to a 27-27 deadlock.

NIU guards Monique Davis and Kristan Knake scored 10 points each, and it was Knake’s sideline three with 16:18 in the second half that gave the Huskies their first lead of the game at 27-25.

Central Michigan guard Erin Kuhl led the Chippewas with 13 points and six steals. CMU star forward Desiree Eidson, averaging 15 points and seven rebounds a game, was retained to two points and seven rebounds. The Huskies’ defense on Eidson was a significant factor in determining the game, Hammerle said.

“We were very fortunate to hold her to two points,” Hammerle said. “We tried to take away what we felt her strength was. I think she got so frustrated because she wasn’t getting what she wanted. And toward the end, she started taking some ill-advised shots.”

Hammerle said the second half defense as a whole exhibited an increased aggressive style with a pressing defense after every point the Huskies scored. The Huskies forced 10 turnovers in the second half and scored 13 points off them.

CMU coach Eileen Kleinfelter said while the youth of her team may have played a factor in her team’s second half breakdown, the Huskies showed prowess on both ends of the court and took her team out of its game plan.