Nov. 11, 2006
Box Score
DEKALB, Ill. - Redbird guards Tiffany Hudson and Sara Stevenson each recorded career-highs in scoring, but it wasn't enough to overcome a 60 percent second-half shooting performance by Northern Illinois, as the host Huskies defeated Illinois State, 97-69, at the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon. The game was the season opener for both teams.
Hudson had a career-best 14 points, while Stevenson chipped in with a career-best 11. Lashawn Johnson contributed eight rebounds and a career-high 12 rebounds.
NIU had four players in double figures, led by Stephanie Raymond's 22 points and seven assists. Whitney Lowe tallied 20 points, including a 4-for7 effort from three-point land.
Illinois State head coach Robin Pingeton was impressed with the toughness that Northern Illinois displayed.
"You have to give credit to Northern Illinois, because they played extremely well," said Pingeton. "I really felt like the difference tonight was a mentality. We just didn't have that fighter's mentality, and they did. Northern (Illinois) is a senior dominated team. They have been playing together for four years now, and know what it takes to win. We're still young, and it showed tonight.
"Their point guard (Raymond) is the definition of fight and toughness. She did a great job of leading her team out there."
The Redbirds missed their first five shots from the field, as Northern Illinois jumped out to the early 8-0 lead. Raymond had four points in the stretch. But Illinois State found its offensive rhythm, scoring off its ensuing three possessions to pull within four, 10-6, at the first media timeout. Kristi Cirone connected on two field goals in the spurt.
The Huskies claimed their first double-digit lead (21-11) four minutes later after back-to-back three-point field goals by Whitney Lowe. NIU's lead fluctuated between seven and 10 points in the ensuing six minutes before the Redbirds scored on three consecutive trips down the floor to cut the advantage to four, 30-26. But the Huskies answered with a 6-0 run on back-to-back three pointers to claim a 36-26 lead at the final media timeout (2:50).
The Huskies finished the half on a 7-4 run, and took a 43-30 lead into the locker room at halftime. The 13-point margin marked NIU's biggest lead of the half. Lowe finished the half with a game-high 10 points, while Hudson led the Redbird scoring attack with seven points. The `Birds shot at a 42 percent clip, but were forced into 11 first-half turnovers.
NIU stretched its lead to 52-34 in the first two minutes of the second-half before Illinois State cut the advantage to 15, 59-44, at the half's first media timeout. Stevenson, starting in place of Maggie Krick, had two field goals in the four-minute stretch. The Huskies kept the pressure on, stringing together a 7-3 spurt in the next four minutes to claim their largest lead of the game, 66-47, with 11:19 left.
The Huskie lead ballooned to 75-51 at the ensuing media timeout (7:51). After the `Birds jump started a 4-0 run out of the previous break, NIU answered with a 9-0 spurt. Mary Basic had four points and Kylie York hit a three-pointer in the run. The Huskies led by as many as 31 points down the stretch.
Northern Illinois out-rebounded the Redbirds, 42 to 31. They had just nine turnovers in the game, and shot at a 75 percent clip from beyond the three-point arc in the second-half.
