Nov. 10, 2008

Box Score

Box Score in PDF Format

DEKALB, Ill.- The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team scored a 73-67 win over St. Xavier in its lone exhibition game of the season Monday night at the Convocation Center.

"We've got some things to work on," NIU head coach Carol Owens said. "St. Xavier is a really scrappy team. I expected the game to go like this."

NIU had three Huskies finish in double figures with redshirt sophomore Marke Freeman (Springfield, Ill./Lanphier) scoring a game-high 19 points in her NIU debut. Freeman went 7-13 from the field and 3-4 from the free throw line. She also had four steals and four rebounds.

"When you sit out a whole year, you can watch, but it's not like going out and playing," Owens said of Freeman's performance. "She's a special player. She helps Jessie and Kylie do what they want to do offensively."

Senior Jessie Wilcox was NIU's second leading scorer with 13, while sophomore Ebony Ellis (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township) followed with 12. Ellis led the team in rebounds with eight, and Wilcox grabbed six.

The Huskies played well in the first half, jumping out to an early 12-2 lead. NIU went on a 12-0 midway through the first half to open up a 26-8 lead with 6:56 left to play and headed into halftime with a 37-22 lead.

NIU came out strong in the second half, building its lead to 55-34, the largest of the game. St. Xavier battled back though, going a 12-0 run to cut the deficit to 61-54 with 3:31 left to play. Wilcox and Freeman both made a pair of free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.

"We've got to continue to get better and get in a flow," she said. "We haven't gotten that flow yet. We got stuck on that 18-point margin for a while and we kind of got on our heels and the momentum changed."

The Huskies will be back in action Friday night when they play host to the Jaguars of IUPUI at the Convocation Center to open the 2008-09 regular season. Game time is 7 p.m. A season ticket package for both the men's and women's basketball teams is available for $135 at www.niuhuskies.com or by calling the Athletics Ticket Office at 815-752-6800.

-NIU-