Wednesday night’s women’s basketball game was a true battle.

It took the Huskies a last-second blocked shot to send the game into the overtime.

After 12 lead changes throughout the contest, the Huskies grabbed an 83-74 overtime win against Kent State (6-16 overall, 3-7 MAC).

“They played a lot harder than we did, especially in overtime,” Golden Flashes’ head coach Bob Lindsay said. “That was the difference in the game.”

NIU (8-14, 5-5) and KSU traded baskets throughout the first half, creating 10 lead changes within 20 minutes of play.

But as the halftime buzzer sounded, one Huskie found a way to spark her teammates spirits before leaving for the locker room.

NIU guard Jessie Wilcox sank a tre from far behind the arc as the clock hit 00:00.

“They made all the big shots,” Lindsay said. “We didn’t. I would like to commend Carol and her team for playing us hard through the game.”

The spirit lifter helped three Huskies go into double-digit scoring. Forward Whitney Lowe, center Ebony Ellis and Wilcox scored 20, 16 and 16 points respectively.

Both Ellis and Lowe garnered double–double points and rebounds. Ellis, a freshman, lead the team in rebounding. The center grabbed 16 boards, four more than her previous career high.

NIU guard Kylie York also helped the team’s effort, scoring nine points. Her shots came at the right time, as she helped secure the lead in overtime after hitting two shots from behind the arc in less than a minute. The win helped the Huskies reach .500 in their conference.

“I think the MAC is kind of crazy this year,” Wilcox said. “Even being .500, we still have a lot of chances and a lot plenty of games left to fight to the end.”

The guard has high hopes for her team and said that if the women can work together they could have an impact in the MAC.

Forward Whitney Lowe also said the team’s future looks bright with the team playing together consistently.

“I think as long as we put effort forward to get position inside we can score,” Lowe said. “Other people stepped up and kept us rolling offensively.”

NIU head coach Carrol Owens was pleased with the win and said she liked that each girl contributed to the game.

“It was a great team win,” Owens said. “I like how we, especially in overtime, battled and took over those five minutes. This is what we expect. This is who we are.

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