People usually love surprises, but the NIU women’s basketball team had little to smile about after what Northwestern had in store for them Tuesday night at Chick Evans Field House.

The Wildcats unleashed a shooting barrage led by freshmen standouts Maureen Holohan and Kellie Cook, as well as senior Michelle Savage, to dominate the contest from start to finish en route to a 95-75 blowout.

Savage led Northwestern in scoring with 29 points, hitting a blistering 12-for-18 from the field and 5-for-5 from the foul line. Savage also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

However, the surprise came from how well Holohan and Cook performed. Taking a page out of Savage’s playbook, the two freshmen scored 21 points apiece and showed off shooting touches of their own.

Holohan went 9-for-13 from the field which included several impressive drives to the hoop with Huskies in her face. As for Cook, her 8-for-16 from the field, including 4-for-7 from the three-point line, ended any notions of a possible NIU comeback.

Northwestern head coach Don Perrelli thought one of the keys to the game was the play of his two freshmen.

“When you got Cook on the outside hitting threes and you got Holohan who’s driving to the basket and picking up fouls, I think that was key,” Perrelli said. “We got them in foul trouble early and that was very crucial.”

NIU head coach Jane Albright-Dieterle was also impressed with the rookie’s performances from the field as well.

“Kelly Cook, who I believe, is a freshman … is a great player, and Holohan, too,” said Albright-Dieterle. “What can you say, they shoot and they want to shoot.”