NIU women win at Eastern Michigan while men fall at Kent State

Women’s basketball

NIU 61, Eastern Michigan 52: At Ypsilanti, Michigan, Sidney McCrea scored 18 points and had a career-best six assists to power the Huskies to a road win.

“It was a great team effort today,” NIU coach Lisa Carlsen said. “When it became a possession-for-possession game in the fourth quarter, we made the plays we needed and made some big free throws down the stretch and got stops.”

Laura Nickel set season-highs with 12 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Brooke Stonebraker posted her third consecutive double-double with 10 points and tied for the game-high in rebounds with 13.

NIU (12-12, 5-7 MAC) opened the game on a 14-2 run, highlighted by a 9-0 stretch over 2:39, with a Kortney Drake 3-pointer putting the Huskies up 12 at the 5:16 mark of the first.

The Huskies led as much as 31-13, but the Eagles (6-17, 2-10) took their first lead at 40-38 at the end of the third quarter. McCrea made a 3 with 4:39 left to put the Huskies back in front 51-48, a lead NIU would not relinquish.

“Sidney doesn’t shy away from the big moment,” Carlsen said. “When it comes down to crunch time she is someone we can rely [on] down the stretch in so many different ways.”

After a Tayra Eke layup made the score 51-50, NIU went on an 8-0 run over 2:30 to take a 59-50 lead with 0:32 seconds left. The Huskies were 10 for 10 from the free-throw line in the game, with eight of those coming in the last 2:29 of regulation.

Men’s basketball

Kent State 85, NIU 47: At Kent, Ohio, The Golden Flashes (13-12, 6-6) shot 56% from the floor to dispatch the Huskies.

Ethan Butler scored a team-high and career-best 17 points to go with five rebounds. After missing two games, David Coit added 14 for NIU (9-16, 3-9).