Toledo women snap NIU’s 4-game winning streak

The Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team saw its winning streak halted at four games Wednesday afternoon at Savage Arena in Toledo, Ohio, as Toledo rallied in the fourth quarter for a 67-62 Mid-American Conference win.

NIU’s Chelby Koker notched her seventh 20-point game of the season with a game-high 20 points and nine rebounds. A’Jah Davis had 12 points and six rebounds, and Janae Poisson added 11 points off the bench. Errin Hodges scored in double figures for the third time in four games with 10 points and added seven rebounds.

“We just didn’t play well enough to win tonight,” coach Lisa Carlsen said. “You got to give Toledo credit. They’re one of the best defensive teams in the league, and they made it tough on us. In a possession-for-possession ballgame like we had tonight, there was definitely some critical ones there in the fourth quarter that we just didn’t execute.”

NIU’s defense was outstanding in the third quarter, holding Toledo to 1 for 17 from the field and 0 for 10 at the 3-point line. The Huskies (6-6, 4-3 MAC) opened the quarter on an 8-1 run, capped by a Poisson three that gave NIU a 42-33 lead with 5:21 to play, the Huskies’ largest lead of the game.

Toledo (8-4, 4-4) chipped away at the lead at the foul line, making 10 straight free throws to get within five, 48-43, with 1:03 to go in the third. Quinesha Lockett then made Toledo’s only basket of the quarter with 37 seconds left to get the Rockets within three. Koker got the lead up to five with a layup in the final seconds, putting the Huskies ahead, 50-45, heading into the fourth quarter.

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