DeKALB — Women’s basketball saw its three-game win streak snapped after losing 68-61 in an intense game against the University of Buffalo Bulls Saturday in Buffalo, New York.

NIU went into the game without their star player, junior guard Chelby Koker, who sustained a season-ending knee injury during Wednesday’s game against Kent State and will be out for the remainder of the 2021-22 season.

The Huskies saw players step up in Koker’s absence as three players reached double digit scoring against the Bulls. Junior forward A’Jah Davis led the Huskie scoring with 19 points and ten rebounds. Senior guard Janae Poisson scored 18 points and senior forward Mikayla Brandon scored 11.

“I thought we did a good job defensively and were more locked in the second half and were better than we were in the first half,” head coach Lisa Carlsen said on Huskie Sports Radio Network.

The Huskies went the last five minutes of the first quarter without scoring a basket because of the Bulls’ defense.The Bulls were playing a 3-2 zone on NIU to prevent shooters such as Poisson from getting open and to contain Davis in the paint.

Davis was double-teamed mostly in the first quarter, so she could not score in the paint. NIU shot 25% from the field and from the three.

The Huskies could not stop Bulls freshman guard Georgia Woolley, who scored 11 points in the second quarter. Woolley’s shot was going in the second quarter and she made four pull-up jumpers.

Buffalo continued to make it difficult to score as they continued to play zone defense. Davis could not score in the paint, but she could get to the free throw line. Davis went 4-for-6 from the free throw line in the second quarter.

The Huskies were down at halftime 36-25, hoping to get in a shooting rhythm in the second half. Woolley led all scorers with 18 points.

Davis got to the free-throw line and the paint in the third quarter. Davis scored seven points in the quarter and led a Huskies’ comeback attempt.

Davis was not alone in her efforts as Poisson scored five points. The Huskies’ comeback attempt was difficult as Bulls’ freshman forward Saniaa Wilson tried to keep the Bulls in the lead with eight points in the quarter. Buffalo led 48-45 at the end of the third quarter.

Buffalo did an excellent job against NIU defensively in the fourth quarter, keeping them from scoring early. NIU went on a three-minute scoring drought at the beginning of the fourth quarter. Buffalo led 54-45 with 7:25 left, looking to extend their lead even more.

The Huskies continued to stay in the game as they figured a way to score against Buffalo’s zone defense. Poisson hit a jumper with 2:29 left to bring the Huskies within two, down 58-56.

“Janae understands that her ability to score the basketball is going to be magnified more going forward,” Carlsen said. “We need to continue to see this for her.”

The Bulls continued to get points around the basket as the Huskies could not stop them. The Bulls went up six, 62-56, with 1:47 left. Poisson kept NIU in it as she hit a jumper to bring it to within four, 62-58.

Both teams continued to battle as the Huskies were down 61-64 with 31.2 seconds left. The Bulls would inbound the ball with 31.2 seconds left and 4 second left on the shot clock. Buffalo junior guard Dyaisha Fair shot the three and missed, which was rebounded by the Bulls. The Huskies had no choice but to foul.

The Huskies inbounded the ball down 65-61 as it was stolen by Fair, resulting in a Buffalo layup.

The Huskies had a great fourth quarter but could not come back as they lost 68-61. Buffalo ended its three-game losing streak while NIU ended its three-game winning streak.

“We put ourselves in position to claw back and get it to one position,” Carlsen said. “We need to do a better job of closing.”

Buffalo’s Fair, Woolley and Wilson scored double-digits points to finish the game. Woolley led all scorers with 26 points shooting 45%. Fair had 16 and Wilson had 12.

NIU’s overall record is 7-10 and 4-5 in the Mid-American Conference. They are in 8th place in the MAC.

Buffalo’s overall record is 12-7 and 6-3 in the MAC. They are in 3rd place in the MAC.

The Huskies continue their road trip as they are headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to take on Western Michigan University at 6 p.m. Monday. The game can be watched on ESPN3.