Ugly would be the perfect word to describe the NIU women’s basketball team’s shooting in the first half of Wednesday night’s 80-66 victory over Miami-Ohio.

The Huskies only shot 32 percent from the field before heading to the locker room. That being said, NIU still led 31-26 at halftime.

In the second half, the Huskies practically doubled their field goal percentage, shooting 57 percent from the field.

“I thought we attacked a little bit more,” said NIU head coach Carol Owens. “Aileen (Roussouw) came off the bench and really gave us a spark in that area. She got high percentage shots.”

Roussouw, who only had two points in the first half, went 6-8 from the field and scored 16 points after halftime. Her 18 points led the Huskies. “I was just trying to find the open spot,” Roussouw said. “My guards, they were doing a very good job of driving and kicking.”

The Huskies (12-11, 7-3 MAC) had only six turnovers, compared to 17 assists. Before Wednesday night, NIU’s season low in turnovers had been 15.

“That has to be celebrated,” Owens said. “Good execution, good ball handling. We work a lot on that, and I’ve seen a steady decline in our turnovers. That’s a stat that will stick out for me.”

Miami’s (13-10, 5-5 MAC) Courtney Reed led in scoring, making 15 points. The RedHawks suffered two key injuries, losing their second leading scorer in guard Maggie Boyer and forward Ashleigh Brown, a key reserve in the second half.

“It’s a starter, and it’s my first player off the bench, and it’s a year where I have six freshmen,” said Miami head coach Maria Fantanarosa. “It was critical.”

Jessie Wilcox had 16 points for the Huskies, while Mauvolyene Adams had 14 points and came one rebound short of a double-double. Wilcox also had seven assists and two turnovers. Fourteen of Wilcox’s points came in the second half.

“You just kind of settle into the game,” Wilcox said. “You set your feet and go up confident.”

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