March 9, 2010

CLEVELAND, Ohio - The Mid-American Conference named Northern Illinois women's basketball guard Marke Freeman to its all-conference second team, the league announced Tuesday.

Freeman (Springfield, Ill./Lanphier) led the Huskies in scoring with 16.8 points per game, scored at least 20 points on 10 separate occasions and surpassed the 30-point mark three times. She also led the league in steals with 2.7 per contest. In conference play, Freeman averaged 18.8 points per game, third-best in the MAC, and ranked fourth in the league with 4.4 assists per game.

"This is a well-deserved award, and a great honor," NIU head coach Carol Owens said. "I believe she is one of the best guards in our conference, and this award confirms that."

The junior also impressed on the glass, averaging 4.6 rebounds per game, and tallying at least five rebounds on 12 occasions. She set a career-high with 12 boards to go with 25 points, three assists and two steals at Kent State. After recording a 24-point, 10-assist outing against Toledo, Freeman became the first player to record a point-rebound double-double and a point-assist double-double since NIU rejoined the MAC in 1997-98.

"She has tremendous respect in our league," Owens said. "Teams change their defensive strategy based on slowing her down. The good news is that we have her one more year."

Freeman set and reset her career high five times, starting with a 21-point performance in the season-opener against Bradley. She followed that with a 26-point outing against DePaul, then scored 27 points four days later against Northern Iowa. She again reset her career-best with a 33-point night versus Ball State, and settled with her current career-high of 36 points in the overtime win against Buffalo. Factoring in scoring and assists, Freeman had a hand in 41.5 percent of Northern Illinois' made field goals on the year.

The conference also announced the MAC coach and player of the year. Akron's Jodi Kest was voted the Coach of the Year after guiding her team to a 17-12 record overall and an 11-5 mark in league play. Bowling Green's Lauren Prochaska earned her second straight MAC Player of the Year award.

Freeman, who was named the conference sixth-player of the year in her debut season with the Huskies last year, is the 44th NIU women's basketball player to garner all-conference recognition. Her current teammate Ebony Ellis (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Township) was named to the honorable mention team last season, but missed 10 league games with a foot injury this season.

The annual Mid-American Conference awards are voted on by the league's coaches, media relations directors and members of the media.