DeKalb Times

Davis Leads The Way In 72-62 Win At Buffalo

The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team returned to its winning ways Saturday afternoon, earning a 72-62 win over the Buffalo Bulls at Alumni Arena.  
 
Senior forward A'Jah Davis (DeKalb, Ill./Montverde Academy [Fla.]) led the way for the Huskies, leading NIU with 18 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. Her 21 boards tied a career-high set earlier this season at Eastern Illinois as well as last year's win over Buffalo at the NIU Convocation Center. Davis made 8-of-10 shots from the field. 
 
"A'Jah was really solid today," said head coach Lisa Carlsen. "Those are gaudy numbers and we should applaud her for that. She goes about her work so methodically, does a great job on the defensive glass, and gives herself opportunities to get going with all the second chances on the offense glass."
 
Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) and Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic) each had 15 points for NIU. Koker added a season-high eight rebounds and dished out five assists. Poisson scored in double-figures for the second straight game. The duo combined to go 6-for-13 from the three-point line. 
 
NIU (11-10, 3-7 MAC) took a 34-33 lead at halftime when Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) beat the buzzer with a corner three. Buffalo scored the first five points of the third quarter on a Re'Shawna Stone three and a Zakiyah Winfield jumper to go up 38-34 at the 7:30 mark. Sparked by a Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) three, NIU went on a 14-2 run over the next 4:38 to take a 48-40 lead. The Huskies punctuated the run with three straight triples from Poisson, McCrea, and Hunter. The two sides traded baskets for the remainder of the third, with Koker beating the quarter horn with a three to make the score 53-45. 
 
Buffalo (9-10, 4-6 MAC) cut the NIU lead to six with 8:54 to go in the fourth when a pair of Winfield free throws put the score at 55-49. Poisson answered with a three, followed by a layup to start a 10-0 Huskies run that pushed the tally to 65-49 with 5:21 to play in the game, NIU's largest lead of the game. Buffalo responded with a 13-4 run over the next 3:52 to get within seven, 69-62, but that was as close as the Bulls would get. 
 
"It was a four quarter effort," Carlsen said. "There were very few times during the course of the game where I felt like we either panicked or were not locked into what we were supposed to do."
 
The Huskies built a quick 9-4 lead in the first quarter before a Buffalo 7-2 run tied the game at 11 with 4:30 left. Koker put in a layup in the final minute to give NIU a 13-11 lead, then made a three to start the second quarter and extend the advantage to five, 16-11. Poisson grew the lead to six at the 6:44 mark with a three to make the score 21-15. Buffalo came back with an 8-2 run, capped by two Hattie Ogden threes, to take a 29-27 lead with 1:51 to go until halftime. The two sides traded baskets until Hunter beat the halftime buzzer with a three that put NIU up 34-33.
 
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for the Huskies. NIU shot 41.9 percent from the field and held Buffalo to 37.3 percent. The Huskies pulled down a season-high 51 rebounds to the Bulls' 25 and turned 19 offensive rebounds into 22 second chance points. Stone and Winfield each had 19 points for Buffalo, with Winfield adding 13 rebounds for a double-double.
 
The Huskies are back at the NIU Convocation Center on Wednesday, Feb. 8 to take on the Akron Zips at 6 p.m. CT in the annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game. Arrive early and get your free BEAT CANCER t-shirt and pick up some pink accessories from the marketing table in support of the fight against breast cancer. For tickets, log on to NIUHuskies.com or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225). 

Original source can be found here