Friday (Boys Basketball)
Byron 73 Mendota 62
**Pauly Rico (Byron): 27 pts
Genoa-Kingston 62 Oregon 29
Freeport Aquin 84 AFC 58 (5-1)
DeKalb 56 Sycamore 50
Kaneland 35 Yorkville 32
Rockford Christian 70 Rockford Lutheran 64
**Matt Glogowski (Rockford Christian): 35 pts
Polo 51 Pecatonica 37
Amboy 52 Durand 46
Eastland 46 West Carroll 15
Christian Life 80 IMSA 55
Stockton 44 Warren 39
East Dubuque 54 Pearl City 50
Milledgeville 55 Dakota 39
Luther North 80 Keith School 41
Rockford Auburn 74 Freeport 48
Honoengah 61 Belvidere 58
Rockford East 90 Rockford Guilford 49
Girls Basketball
Morris 73 Sterling 54
Genoa-Kingston 56 Oregon 32 (3-3)
Rock Falls 49 Dixon 44 (OT)
Eastland 62 West Carroll 35
IMSA 46 Christian Life 30
East Dubuque 39 Stockton 35
NIU Women's Basketball
PEORIA, Ill. – Northern Illinois University senior Ally Lehman became the first player in NCAA Division I women’s basketball this year to record two triple doubles as she scored 12 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and dished out 10 assists to lead six Huskie players in double figures as NIU defeated Bradley, 81-51, Friday night at Renaissance Coliseum.
Lehman posted the fourth triple-double in NIU history and is the first Huskie player with two of the points-assists-rebounds feat to her credit. She completed the triple double by feeding Mikayla Voigt on the fast break at the end of the third quarter and played just 30 minutes in the game.
“Ally continues to be Ally,” said NIU Head Coach Lisa Carlsen. “She makes it look simple. Right now the game, for her, is coming easy. That’s a tribute to her and a tribute to her teammates as well. She’s always been a good rebounder; we know she can score and she gets her teammates the ball at the right time, in the right position and they are making their shots.”
Lehman’s triple-double was the first in the six-year history of the Renaissance Coliseum at Bradley. She was joined in double figures by five teammates. Voigt and freshman Janae Poisson led the way with 13 points each, freshman Abby Woollacott scored 12 points in her first career game, while Cassidy Glenn and Courtney Woods added 10 points apiece. NIU shot 47.7 percent from the field in the game, made 7 of their 13 three-pointers and were 12-of-15 from the free throw line.
The win improved the Huskies’ record to 5-2 on the season and gave Carlsen her 200th career victory. Carlsen was almost as pleased with the team’s defensive effort, which held Bradley to 51 points, just two days after Drake scored 95. Bradley was held to 24.7 shooting for the game on 18-of-73 shooting and were held to just four points in the second quarter.
“We did some different things on defense tonight, we did more switching and I think the team adjusted well and got more comfortable as the game went on,” Carlsen said.
The Huskies jumped out to an early 12-4 lead with Lehman scoring six of the Huskies’ first 12 points. Bradley responded with 10 points in the final 2:20 of the frame and the team’s entered the second quarter tied, 16-16.
NIU used a 20-4 second-quarter outburst to lead 36-20 at halftime. Bradley went just two-of-16 from the field in the frame. The four points were the fewest ever scored by an NIU opponent in a quarter, breaking the previous low of five scored by Ohio on Jan. 23, 2016. The Huskies scored the last 12 points of the second quarter on three pointers as Poisson started the three barrage, followed by back-to-back three-pointers by Voigt and one from Woods. NIU also outrebounded the Braves, 19-6, in the quarter.
“Our starters got us off to a great start [in the first quarter],” Carlsen said. “Then when we started to get into our [sub] rotation, our second group didn’t start off well. We started off the second quarter with the starters again getting the job done, and in that quarter when the next group went in, they adjusted and you saw what they did. I’m proud they made the adjustment, we have to work to get them to play that way early, but we have a lot of young players in that group, including Abby [Woollacott] today, who was in a game for the first time.”
Woollacott added seven rebounds in her 17 minutes of action, while Renee Sladek pulled down nine boards to tie her season high.
NIU built on its 36-20 halftime lead in the third quarter, outscoring Bradley 27-15. A 14-2 run by NIU from the 6:19 mark until Lehman hit Voigt to complete her triple double put the game out of reach for the Braves as the Huskies were able to get every active player into the game.
“I think it’s key for us to be able to get everyone those minutes,” Carlsen said. “You don’t know how many opportunities you are going to have to play the entire bench and game minutes are really valuable.”
NIU will take next week off to concentrate on final exams and return to action on Sunday, December 11 with a game at Iowa State.
