In its lone exhibition game of the preseason, the NIU women’s basketball team only had one chance to work out the kinks before regular season play.

And after a few mental lapses, as lead scorer Marke Freeman described, the team finished with a 73-67 win over St. Xavier.

“We got what we came out here to do, which is win,” Freeman said. “We had a few mental lapses but it’s the first game so it’s not something that you dwell on. But we definitely have to work on our game during practice.”

Freeman led her team to victory going 7-of-13 and scoring a team high 19 points.

However, the redshirt sophomore, who said she is still shaking off the jitters, turned the ball over seven times.

The Springfield native was not the only Huskie to commit turnovers, as the team tallied 30 throughout the matchup.

“That was kind of our nemesis all game,” said NIU head coach Carol Owens. “The kids work hard and their hearts are in the right place, but we have to make better decisions to cut down on turnovers.”

The Huskies ended the game going 23-of-65 from the field, and five for 16 from behind the arch.

Sophomore Ebony Ellis was the most consistent shooter of the game, going four for five from the field, but struggled at the free throw line.

Ellis hit only four of her 10 free shots.

“I had an off game,” Ellis said. “But I will definitely work on that during practice.”

Still, free throws seemed to be Ellis’ only negative, as she tallied 12 points and led the team on the boards with eight rebounds. Six of the sophomore’s boards came on the offensive side of the ball.

“We work on rebounding at practice everyday,” she said. “I guess all the drills helped me to get out in front of the ball.”

With regular season play starting Nov. 14, Ellis and Freeman agreed that defensive improvements will be a priority for the team.

In the first half of the game, NIU held St. Xavier to a .208 field goal percentage, but then allowed the Cougars to double that percentage in the second half.

“We didn’t stick to the game plan as far as taking care of the ball and limiting their offensive opportunities,” Freeman said. “But we will work hard during practice this week to improve.”

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