March 29, 2024
Sports - DeKalb County


Sports

NIU women push undefeated-in-the-MAC Central Michigan but falls

Matched up against MAC-leading Central Michigan, the 11th place NIU women's basketball team was not a favorite.

But for the second time this season, the Huskies hung with the Chippewas before eventually falling, 70-66.

“It felt very similar,” NIU coach Lisa Carlsen said of the game to a 66-60 loss at Central Michigan. “That’s a team that averages 80 points a game. And so, for us to try and keep them off balance as much as possible, it was a collective effort.”

Unfortunately, the visitors hit shots late while NIU (8-17 overall, 4-10 MAC) struggled to convert on offense. After Courtney Woods narrowed the deficit to two points with 54.8 seconds remaining, the Chippewas (21-4, 14-0) buckled down and grew the gap to seven before a late three-point play from Woods left the final gap at just four points.

“Within the 40 minutes, I think I need to do different things throughout the entire game and kind of towards the end,” Woods said. “I was kind of trying to do the same thing throughout the game, but I couldn't really necessarily do some of that taking bad shots. … Then in the end I think Central was a little tired, so I got some easier looks.”

If it was the efficient shooting from Central Michigan that won them the game (38% from three, 75% from the free-throw line), then it was NIU’s rebounding that kept the game uncomfortably tight for the visitors. Woods collected 11 rebounds in the first half alone as the Huskies raced out to a plus-9 advantage on the boards in the first 20 minutes of play.

In the second half, the rebounding battle was far more even, as Central ended the second half with a 1-board advantage.

“That's something that we were really having success within the first half,” Woods said. “And then we kind of got away from it in the second half, which I think is why like the game changed and they took more control of it. That's something Coach really got on us [for] in the huddle. As the game developed, we kind of struggled to consistently crash.”

Without the extra buckets afforded by offensive rebounding, the Huskies' gameplan began to crawl as the Chippewas accelerated.

"It made it a lot easier for them to get kick out threes," guard Myia Starks said. "They kept on getting multiple rebounds, so [they] kept on getting more opportunities to score the ball and they did."

Ultimately, the Huskies will be proud of how well they battled the conference leaders.

“Being able to fight for 40 is really important any time,” Carlsen said. “But especially this time of year with the tournament looming. I think we want to be that team that nobody wants to play.”

By the numbers: Courtney Woods scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, tripling her point total from the other three quarters combined (five). The Huskies were +4 with her on the floor in a game they lost by 4. Keeping Central ahead was the stellar play of Kyra Bussell, who finished with 25 points and 11 rebounds. Bussell was also the leading scorer in the last NIU-CMU matchup, finishing with 19 points.

Beyond the stats: Riley Blackwell provided some vital defense for the Huskies, but her offense came at important moments too – a transition fastbreak layup into the chest of a CMU defender that drew a foul with just over a minute to go. Her score kicked off NIU’s comeback effort that ultimately got the team within two points.

They said it: “I think Kyra's played a great game against us both times,” Carlsen said. “You know, she hit some tough shots, some contested shot and we said if, throughout the course of 40 minutes, we make them take contested shots, essentially we'll have to live with the result. I felt like she had to earn those 25 points.”

What’s next: NIU plays Eastern Michigan on Wednesday.