NIU Athletics again proved itself a leader in new media with the unveiling of Interactive Guides. A fresh vista on the landscape of athletic communication, "iGuides" present Huskie teams in a dynamic and engaging format. (more)
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The goals of sports performance is to intelligently, progressively and creatively develop out student-athletes to maximize their athletic potential and competitive career at NIU and beyond. (more)
DeKALB - The Northern Illinois women's basketball team (10-18, 4-12 MAC) open the Mid-American Conference Tournament at Miami (Ohio), Saturday, March 6 at noon (CST). If the eighth-seeded Huskies can ground the No. 8 RedHawks, NIU will face top-seeded Bowling Green in Cleveland, March 10.
THE SERIES Miami (Ohio) leads the all-times series 14-12 after breaking a five-game NIU winning streak, Jan. 27 in Oxford. Prior to the loss, Carol Owens hadn't fallen to the RedHawks since arriving as the head coach at NIU in 2005-06.
ABOUT THE REDHAWKS After struggling through a 2-11 non-conference schedule, the RedHawks picked-up their play in the MAC season. With a 5-8 league record, Miami finished fourth in the MAC East, behind Bowling Green, Kent State and Akron, all of which earned first-round byes.
The RedHawks are led by Courtney Osborne, who ranks in the top-10 in the MAC in scoring with 17.0 points per game, is the likely conference Freshman of the Year.
Last time these teams met, Osborn scored 21 points, including five made three-pointers, but wasn't Miami's leading scorer. That honor went to Rachel Hencke, who went a perfect 10-for-10 from the field to score 24 points. As the only player other than Osborn to average double-figures, Maggie Boyer is also a scoring threat with 10.4 points per game.
LAST TIME AGAINST MIAMI Miami shot 63.5 percent from the field and drained 12 three-pointers, boosting the RedHawks to a 96-51 win over Northern Illinois, at Millett Hall.
RedHawk Rachael Hencke opened the game with back-to-back jumpers and her team hit its first five shots to open up a 12-4 lead. Hencke went 7-for-7 in the half with two three-pointers to come away with 18 points. She was outdone by freshman Courtney Osborn of MU, who knocked down five threes in the first and scored 19 points in the period.
Miami shot 71.4 percent (20-of-28) from the field and 72.7 percent (8-of-11) on three-pointers over the opening 20 minutes to score 52 points. The Huskies were held to 29 percent shooting (9-of-31) and hit just 2-of-10 three-pointers to enter the locker room with 21 points. NIU's Mauvolyene Adams was the leading Huskie scorer in the first, hitting 6-of-10 shots to score 12 points.
Northern Illinois improved its shooting in the second half, hitting 37.4 percent (9-of-24) from the field. Adams' good scoring night continued, as she finished with 21 points. But Miami continued its hot-shooting and finished the game hitting 63.5 percent (40-of-63) from the field and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) on three-pointers.
Hencke ended the night with 24 points, while Osborn scored 21. Maggie Boyer added 10 points and had nine assists for the RedHawks. Behind Adams, Kylie York hit a trio of three-pointers for nine points. Marke Freeman had a balanced night with five points, four rebounds, four assists and seven steals, but committed seven of NIU's 23 turnovers.
ON THE AIR Every NIU basketball game of the 2009-10 season can be heard on the Northern Illinois ISP Sports Radio Network. Women's games can be heard on 1360-AM WLBK and online at www.niuhuskies.com through Huskie All-Access.
SILVER MEMBER OF THE 1,000-POINT CLUB Senior Kylie York became the 25th member of the Northern Illinois 1,000-Point Club with a three-pointer in the first half of the Western Michigan game. York had 999 points heading into the game, and scored 14 total. Now in 24th all-time with 1,013 career points, York has passed former teammate Jesse Wilcox on the career scoring list.
Carol Owens has now coached or played with nine of the 25 members of the NIU 1,000-Point Club. She and assistant coach E.C. Hill are also members.
600-REBOUNDS AND COUNTING Kylie York wasn't the only Huskie to join exclusive historic company in the Western Michigan game. Junior center Ebony Ellis grabbed her 600th board in the first half. Ellis has now totaled 608 caroms, good for 16th on the Huskies' all-time list. She can pass Tracy Mondek for 15th with four more boards.
18-5-4 Marke Freeman is the only player in the Mid-American Conference to average at least 18 points, five rebounds and four assists per game in league play. She ranks third in the MAC with 18.8 points per game, while her 4.4 assists per game are fourth best. She also averages 5.1 boards a contest.
STEPPING IN AND STEPPING UP Huskie guard Sarah Rogers has played much of the season at forward, helping to fill a role vacated by injured junior Ebony Ellis. Since Ellis' first missed game of the season, Jan. 9, Rogers is scoring 8.1 points and grabbing 7.9 rebounds per game. In that time, she has had two double-doubles, scored in double-figures seven times, and grabbed double-digit boards on four occasions.
LINE-AGE Marke Freeman has had some of the top all-around performances in the MAC this season. Here's a look at some of her best stat lines, with a total of points+rebounds+assists+steals calculated.
Date Opponent Pts. Reb. Ast. Stl. Total 1/5 at Toledo 22 6 9 5 42 1/9 vs. Ball State 33 5 3 3 44 1/12 vs. WMU 24 3 6 2 35 1/23 vs. UB (OT) 36 9 4 3 52 2/10 vs. Ohio 19 7 5 3 34 2/20 vs. Toledo 24 6 10 3 43 2/27 vs. EMU 30 5 3 2 40
LIGHTS OUT NIU hit 9-of-17 three-point attempts in the win over Toledo, a blistering 52.9 percent from the field. Kylie York knocked down 5-of-8 to lead the way, and freshman Brittney Callahan contributed big with six points on 2-of-4 shooting from downtown.
"GUARDING" THE BOARDS Northern Illinois guard Sarah Rogers ranks in the MAC's top-10 for rebounding in conference play. The shortest player on the list, the 5-foot-8 Rogers ranks sixth in the league with 7.6 boards per game. Rogers is the only guard in the top-20. She is joined in the top-10 by teammate Mauvolyene Adams, who sits in seventh at 7.5 rebounds per game. NIU is one of only two teams in the league with two players in the top-10.
HEARTS ON SLEEVES Northern Illinois has overcome three second-half deficits of nine or more this season. The Huskies trailed by 16 to Buffalo with 13 minutes left, and came back to win by five in overtime. NIU outscored UIC by 16 over the last nine minutes to extinguish the Flames by seven. The Huskies were down by 14 with 12 minutes left at Chicago State and came back to win by five. NIU also held off a charging Loyola team to win on the road by 10 in overtime.
SHE GIVES... Marke Freeman dished out a season-best 10 assists against Toledo, demonstrating that her play-making ability goes well beyond scoring. She ranks fourth in the league in MAC play with 4.4 assists per game.
...AND TAKES Marke Freeman leads the MAC in steals with 2.7 per game. She set a career-high with eight steals at No. 24 Nebraska. The junior swiped three in the first half and five in the second period. The total is tied for the fifth-most in a game in NIU history. Freeman has tallied at least four steals eight times this season.
HAY-WOOD YA BLOCK A SHOT? Freshman forward Shaakira Haywood has wasted no time making herself known to players who venture into the paint. Haywood ranks 12th in the MAC in blocked shots with 13 in league play. The rookie has blocked three shots in a game three times this season, most recently against Akron. She is averaging 2.6 blocks per 40 minutes played.
CAREER ADVANCEMENT Ten of the 11 players on the Northern Illinois roster have registered career-highs this season. Marke Freeman scored a career-high 36 against Buffalo, the fifth time this season she has set a new career-high. Other Huskies with career-highs include Ebony Ellis (23, vs. Loyola), Mauvolyene Adams (22, vs. SIU), Sarah Rogers (14, vs. CMU), Tenisha Wilson (10, at Milwaukee), Courtney Shelton (15, vs. Buffalo), and Terriel Cannon (14 vs. Buffalo). Freshmen Shaakira Haywood and Brittney Callahan's career-highs stand at six and seven, respectively. Kylie York is the only Huskie yet to set a career-high this year. York has tallied as many as 23 points this season, four shy of her career-best.
DOUBLE DIPS The Huskies have totaled 20 double-doubles in 28 games this season. Forward Mauvolyene Adams leads the way with 10, while center Ebony Ellis has registered at least 10 and 10 in six of the 18 games she has appeared in. Sarah Rogers has also achieved the feat, securing 11 points and 10 rebounds at Central Michigan for her first career double-double. Rogers added a 12-point, 15-rebound performance at Ball State for her second double-dip in three games.
Marke Freeman added her name to the double-double decadence twice. Her first came with 25 points and a career-high 12 rebounds against Kent State, and she had 24 points and 10 assists versus Toledo. Freeman is the first NIU player since NIU rejoined the MAC to have a point-rebound and a point-assist double-double in her career.
MOST IMPROVED HUSKIE After playing in just 13 games her freshman season, averaging 3.5 minutes per appearance, Courtney Shelton has broken out in her sophomore season. Shelton, who earned a place in the starting line-up with her preseason play and has started every game, ranks fourth on the team in minutes per game with 27.44. She's scored a career-high nine points twice, and is averaging 4.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game.
BIG MARGINS IN OVERTIME Since last season, NIU has gone 5-1 in overtime games. In the five wins, the Huskies have outdone their opponents by 6.9 points per game. Most recently, NIU beat Buffalo 93-88 after trailing by as much as 16 in the second half. The Huskies also defeated Loyola in OT this season, downing the Ramblers on the road, 74-65.
OWENS IN THE TOURNAMENT NIU head coach Carol Owens is 2-4 is MAC Tournament games since taking over the reigns of the Northern Illinois program in 2005-06.The Huskies' best run under Owens came in 2007, when NIU won an opening round game over Akron, then defeated Kent State before falling in the semifinals to Ball State, 83-72. The Huskies have lost in the first round in each of Owens' other three MAC Tournament appearances.
A HISTORY OF CHAMPIONS The Huskies have won four conference tournament championships since beginning NCAA membership in 1982-83. Northern Illinois won their first in 1990 with a 97-85 win over DePaul in the North Star Conference Championship. On a team led by current NIU head coach Carol Owens, the Huskies followed up with a first-round NCAA Tournament win over Texas Tech before falling to Purdue in the second round. NIU won a second NSC title in 1992, and won Mid-Continent Conference Tournament Championships in 1993 and 1994, all with current NIU assistant coach E.C. Hill at point guard.
LAST TIME IN THE MAC TOURNAMENT The Huskies run in the 2009 Kraft MAC Tournament came to an abrupt end when the Huskies fell to Buffalo, 57-52, in the first round game at Quicken Loans Arena.
The Huskies struggled offensively, shooting 28.8 percent from the field, going 19-of-66 for the game and just 8-of-36 in the second half. With the score tied 42-42 with 11:46 left to play, Ebony Ellis hit a bucket in the lane to give NIU a two-point lead. It would be the last field goal the Huskies would hit for 11 minutes.
Down 50-48 with 3:34 on the clock, Buffalo's Kourtney Brown tied the game with a layup, and a layup by Jessica Fortman gave the Bulls their first lead of the game, 52-50, with 2:49 left to play. The Huskies had an opportunity to tie the game on the ensuing possession, but Freeman's runner in the lane was blocked.
The Huskies still had a chance with under a minute to play when Buffalo's Dayna Smith missed a jumper. However, the Bulls' Jamie Schiebner grabbed the offensive rebound and scored her only points of the game on a put back to give UB a four-point lead with 43 seconds left to play.
Three Huskies finished in double figures with Freeman leading the way with 13 points, while Jessie Wilcox finished with 12, all coming in the first half. The senior guard scored her 1,000th-career point on her third field goal of the game, finishing her Huskie career with 1,007 points. Ellis posted her seventh double-double of the season and ninth of her career, scoring 10 points and grabbing a game-high 14 boards.
