Sports Reporter

Not often does a young team like the NIU women’s basketball find itself battling for a top spot in the Mid-American Conference.

But that’s where the Huskies stood at Ball State Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 1,427. BSU entered the game at 3-0 in the MAC and NIU came in at 2-0 in the MAC West after defeating Marshall 66-56 in its MAC opener on Jan. 6, then Eastern Michigan on the road, 68-56.

The Huskies (6-10, 2-1) showed early promise, grabbing a 10-6 lead. However, Ball State halted NIU, going on an 11-0 run. The Cardinals drew 19 NIU fouls that translated to 29 free throws, and a 78-54 BSU win.

“We were beating them in every statistical category,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “Except the big one, free throws. We rebounded well, and shot decently, but when you send a team to the free throw line that much … it makes it tough to compete.”

The Huskies outrebounded Ball State, and attempted more field goals, but turned the ball over 24 times to 17 for the Cardinals.

“We know we can win,” freshman guard Lindsay Secrest said. “We knew it’s not just going to come to us. We have to put a lot of work on doing the little things right.”

“D-ing” it up: Struggling to learn Hammerle’s defensive system plagued the young Huskies early in the season, and NIU lost 9 of its first 11 games.

The Huskies gave up an average of 67.5 points contest during those games. They went on to win four straight games, during which they allowed just 53.5 points a game. NIU ranks third in the MAC, allowing 64.6 ppg.

New starting five: After the Huskies’ 62-50 home loss to Santa Clara on Dec. 18, Hammerle shuffled the starting lineup for NIU’s road matchup with Evansville. She removed freshman guard Monique Davis, who had been struggling, and replaced her with sophomore Kristan Knake as the starting point guard. Sophomore Kim Boeding moved to shooting guard, while Secrest, who had been the Huskies’ 6th man moved to small forward.

Although the Huskies dropped a tough 65-60 loss to Evansville, NIU went on to win its next four games with the lineup.

However, Hammerle said that the new lineup hasn’t been set in stone, and the door remains open for other players to earn starting roles.

Secrest’s star rising: Freshman swingman Secrest, after starting the season slow, has developed into a force at both ends of the court. She leads the team in steals, averaging 2.4 a contest, and ranks second on the team in scoring at 10.4 points per game.

Secrest tied her season high of 26 points in the win over Marshall to go along with 9 rebounds and a game-high 6 steals. Her 5 threes in the contest gave her 27 for the season which broke Knake’s freshman record of 25 threes set last year.

‘Stique’s back: Junior forward Mystique Adams, who sat out the Huskies’ first 11 games because of swelling in her knee, returned to action during the Huskies’ 65-60 loss to Evansville. Against Marshall, the 6-foot-1 Adams had 6 points, 2 blocks, and 2 rebounds in 16 minutes.

S.W.A.T. team: The Huskies lead the MAC in blocked shots with 60 stuffs in 16 games for an average of 3.8 per contest. Senior center Mickey Johnson leads the team with 20 blocks.