There are times when it can be difficult to reach back and pull out that little extra needed for a victory.

The NIU women’s basketball team wasn’t able to muster that little extra in a 72-68 loss to Ohio University on Monday night.

“We’re very disappointed in this loss,” NIU head coach Carol Owens said. “We played in spurts, and we have to play better than that for 40 minutes.”

The Huskies (10-16 overall, 6-7 MAC) hung close throughout much of the first half. However, NIU trailed 33-27 at halftime.

“I didn’t think we started out with the energy we needed at the beginning of the game,” Owens said.

The Huskies came out flat in the second half, not making a field goal until a layup by forward Whitney Lowe with 15:02 left.

NIU closed the lead to six points with 9:34 remaining. But a subsequent run by Ohio pushed the lead back to 12 points.

“Down the stretch, we had our opportunities,” Owens said. “We had a couple of turnovers when we really needed to score.”

The Huskies were able to cut into the lead again with a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Kylie York. The shot made it a four-point game with 2:24 to go.

However, Ohio (17-11,10-5) quickly responded offensively, bringing its lead back to nine with 25 seconds left.

Lowe led the Huskies with 16 points and 9 rebounds, while York chipped in 12 points, all from behind the arc.

Ohio forward Lauren Hmiel lead the Bobcats with 19 points, while three other players also scored in double digits.

The loss was especially difficult for Lowe, who was playing in her final home game as a Huskie.

“It was probably one of the more emotional games I’ve had all year,” Lowe said. “I was trying to pick myself up, pick my teammates up.”

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