With Mickey Johnson struggling from the field, NIU needed a spark in the post Tuesday. Jessica Shattuck and Mystique Adams more than did the job.

Shattuck, a 6-foot-4 inch sophomore, played a key role in the Huskies’ 69-47 win over Akron in the Mid-American Conference tournament quarterfinals, as she had 5 blocks, pulled down 4 rebounds, and made all three of her shots from the field. Shattuck’s performance was crucial as Johnson shot 0-for-6 from the floor, scoring only 2 points, and Jennifer Youngblood added 8 points.

“They are very athletic, and the size difference was rather noticeable,” Akron coach Roxanne Allen said of NIU. “They outsized us, spot for spot.”

Along with Shattuck, Adams came off the bench and played a key role, finishing with 7 points, a team-high 7 rebounds, 2 steals and a block.

With so many weapons at coach Carol Hammerle’s disposal, it was difficult for opponents to combat the Huskie offense. Having not seen NIU in two seasons, Akron wasn’t aware that the Huskies had so much depth.

“It’s difficult to prepare for a team you haven’t faced for two years when all but two players are new,” Allen said.

Along with the starting five, NIU has four other players capable of reaching double figures on any given night. Shattuck, Adams, Stephanie Smith and Lindsay Secrest all could make an impact, and all four did Tuesday.

NIU’s bench outscored Akron’s 28-6, led by Secrest’s 12 points off four 3-point field goals. Secrest has reached double figures in both tournament games.

“At the beginning of the year, we set a lot of goals for ourselves and I think we accomplished a lot of those,” the freshman guard said. “Moving on to the next round of the tournament is going to be great for our university.”