While her size seems to be a hindrance for her position, freshman outside hitter T’ara Austin’s speed and athleticism makes her the most athletic player on volleyball’s roster.Judging by her build, the 5-foot-8 freshman out of Joliet Central High...
Track and FieldConnie TeaberryNIU Head CoachTime at school: 10 yearsBase Salary: $70,002Career Highlights: Coached athletes that broke 43 school records and won individual MAC titles.Randy HeislerBall State HeadTime at school: Eight yearsBase Salary:...
As local leaders bow out, NIU Athletics has the opportunity to make changes. Follow the Northern Star’s three-part editorial series over the next few days as the Editorial Board examines the university, city and athletics department. The Editorial Board...
Women’s basketball will have its last regular season game on the road against Western Michigan today in Kalamazoo, Mich. The Huskies will look to set the tone for a MAC tournament run starting on March 10. “We would take any win and it would be a...
The women’s basketball team (7-20, 2-12 MAC) fell to the Eastern Michigan Eagles (8-19, 6-8 MAC), 54-45, but it wasn’t for a lack of heart. “I don’t think we can play harder, especially in the second half,” said NIU head coach Kathi Bennett....
The women’s basketball team prides itself on defense, hustle, energy and toughness, and redshirt sophomore forward Jenna Thorp embodies all these traits. This is something every coach wants in their players. Head coach Kathi Bennett has done well getting...
The Huskies were handed a tough road loss, 42-70, against the MAC-leading Toledo Rockets Wednesday.
The Huskies (7-18, 2-10 MAC) weren’t able to get around the Rockets’ defense, which kept pressure on NIU’s offense throughout the game. NIU went into the locker room trailing 19-29 at halftime and was outscored 41-23 in the second half. The Rockets’ defense held NIU to an 18.2 field goal percentage in the second half, only allowing the Huskies to make four shots on 22 attempts.
“Toledo is one of the better defensive teams that we have seen,” said NIU head coach Kathi Bennett. “They forced us into a lot of turnovers throughout the game.”
NIU totaled 23 turnovers, leading to 29 points for the Rockets. Despite shooting 35.7 percent in the first half, the Rockets managed to convert on 60.9 percent of their shots in the second half. Led by redshirt senior guard Naama Shafir’s 25 points, the Rockets managed to shoot 47.1 percent for the game against the Huskies’ third-ranked defense.
Sophomore forward Natecia Augusta discussed Toledo’s defensive approach on Wednesday.
“They put a lot of pressure on our guards and were denying us inside, so the middle was all clogged up,” Augusta said. “It was hard to make plays with [Toledo] flying around.”
Augusta led the Huskies in scoring with 12 points on 2-4 shooting. Augusta shot a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line and felt the Huskies were able to work the ball inside toward the end of the game.
“At the end we got the floor spread out more and I just settled in,” Augusta said. “We just struggle with starting slow. We’ve got to come in more prepared for that. It’s all mental with us.”
The Huskies’ most recent wins have come with some form of production inside. Despite the point differential late in the game, Bennett was happy to see the team get the offense going in the paint.
“We established low-post play late in the game,” Bennett said. “I thought that it was one bright spot of the game.”
The Huskies will play this Saturday on the road against Ball State (11-13, 8-3 MAC). The Cardinals are ranked third in the MAC West division and beat the Huskies 51-57 in their previous matchup despite senior forwards Satavia Taylor’s career-high 24-point game. The Huskies will need to take care of the ball against the Cardinals, who are currently ranked second in the MAC in turnover margin at +3.00.
NIU women's basketball won back-to-back games for the fourth time this season.
The Huskies (9-11, 3-5 MAC) defeated Kent State (5-13, 4-4 MAC) 66-55 Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center.
"Overall, they played better than we did," said Kent State coach Bob Lindsay. "We weren't very consistent out there today."
NIU was on fire to open the game, shooting 71 percent from the field and knocking down its first five three pointers.
Senior Courtney Shelton set the tone offensively for the Huskies, scoring a game-high 23 points and hitting five of 10 shots from beyond the arc.
"As a team, we were really just attacking gaps, getting people open," Shelton said. "A lot of people got good looks tonight, and we were knocking down shots. That's a good feeling, and it gives us confidence heading into our next couple games."
The Huskies had a lead as high as 18 points in the first half as the game looked like it may have been a blowout.
But once NIU cooled off shooting from the field, the Golden Flashes slowly chipped away at the deficit and came back multiple times to pull within a couple possessions.
However, Kent State couldn't get over that final hurdle to take a lead.
"We were disappointing in places," Lindsay said. "We cut the lead to five a couple of different times, gave up an offensive rebound, gave up a play that we shouldn't have given up and that hurt us."
The Huskies have a defense-first mentality, but the offense has slowly started to come together, making them more of a threat as the season continues.
"I think it's because we have some confidence with the ball," said NIU coach Kathi Bennett. "We're poised, our spacing is so much better and we believe in ourselves that we can attack gaps and make shots."
NIU was one again highly successful from the free throw line, shooting 82 percent as a team.
Freshmen Claire Jakubicek and Amanda Corral joined Shelton by putting up double digit points for the second consecutive game. Both also flirted with a double-double as they each had eight rebounds.
After the six game losing streak the Huskies had over winter break, the team has found a rhythm during a critical point in the year.
"We've been consistent in practice ever since the Buffalo game," Bennett said. "I think sometimes you really got to get in a valley to wake up. I think we've really executed well offensively, we have a tact, we read our defense, share the ball, we're playing really good basketball on both ends right now."
The last time the Huskies won was Dec. 29 in a 69-38 blowout against Norfolk State. In the last month, the Huskies (5-14, 0-6 MAC) have struggled to capitalize on their strong defensive performances. Inconsistent offense is the biggest reason NIU has...
Women’s basketball looks to get its first MAC win against the Western Michigan Broncos at 7 p.m. today at the Convocation Center. The Broncos (5-12, 1-3 MAC) are coming off a big win against the first-place Akron Zips, but a hungry Huskie team (5-12,...
A tough road test is waiting for NIU women’s basketball as it looks to sharpen up its game and look ahead to the start of MAC conference play in January. The Huskies (3-4) will be out on the road for five out of six games during winter break and coach...
NIU women’s basketball isn’t the biggest or tallest team that you are going to see in college basketball, but one player that gives it size is freshman McKenzie Hoelmenn. Hoelmenn is out of Lakeville, Minn., and is listed as a 6’2” forward/center....
