E.C. Hill’s return to Chick Evans Field House on Saturday night marked a bittersweet evening for NIU. The former Huskie standout received a standing ovation and sat on the Huskies’ bench, watching NIU fall 57-50 to Eastern Michigan.

The NIU athletic department had a special halftime ceremony to honor Hill, one of the best players ever to step onto Chick Evans’ hardwood.

“It’s like coming home,” Hill said.

After graduating from NIU in 1995 with a degree in communication, Hill had stints in Greece and with the now-defunct American Basketball League before signing with the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA. She currently competes for the Los Angeles Sparks since the Sting traded her.

Hill, the second all-time leading scorer in NIU history, greeted members of the Hoop Troop, and former teammate Charmonique Stallworth, now an NIU assistant coach.

Coach Carol Hammerle advised the same Wisconsin-Green Bay team that defeated the Hill-led NIU team in the Mid-Continent Conference Championship game in 1994. Hill tallied 24 points and 10 rebounds in that contest. As Hill reflected on her years at NIU, she remembers the close ties the team had.

“The team we had then was like a family,” Hill said. “We were very close — on and off the court. From the coaching staff down to the very last player. To this day we still talk. We’re a close-knit group.”

She also said her years at NIU helped build her into the person she is today.

The Chicago native worked on improving her defensive game during offseasons, because of the potent offensive talent the WNBA players have compared to the college level.

“The big difference is everybody can play and everyone can score,” Hill said. “That’s the hardest thing to do — trying to stop someone from scoring.”

The Chicago Public League prep conference recently inducted Hill into its Hall of Fame. Hill graduated from Whitney Young High School in Chicago. She also ranks first in career blocks (244) and third in assists (392).