Recap: Women’s basketball leaves DeKalb with victory over Northern Illinois

The Miami University RedHawks women’s basketball team entered the home of the Northern Illinois University Huskies with hopes of rising to 3-2 in Mid-American Conference (MAC) play for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

With last night’s 73-52 win over Northern Illinois (7-9, 1-4 in MAC play), Miami (10-5, 3-2 in MAC play) did that and evened the series 25-25 after losing twice to the Huskies last season.

With 25 points, sophomore guard Enjulina Gonzalez led the RedHawks and played her fifth game with more than 20 points this season.

The Huskies scored first with a layup from redshirt sophomore forward Brooke Blumenfield. Gonzalez capped an eight-minute back-and-forth battle in the first quarter with a layup to give Miami a 11-9 lead. The RedHawks didn’t give up their advantage for the rest of the night.

Sophomore forward Amber Tretter contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds, her third double-double of the season. First-year forward Ilse de Vries, first-year guard Tamar Singer and graduate student guard Maya Chandler each scored eight points.

Gonzalez shot 3-5 on 3-pointers, and the roster made eight shots on 23 attempts from behind the arc. Miami leads the MAC with its 3-point percentage of .362 (115-318).

The RedHawks combined for 17 steals, the third-most of the season and the most against a MAC competitor. Miami has allowed opponents to score 839 points, the least in the conference.

Graduate student guard Chelby Koker scored 14 points for Northern Illinois while turning the ball over six times. Blumenfield and graduate student forward Brooke Stonebraker put up 12 and 11 points respectively.

Their win moves the RedHawks to fifth in the MAC, two spots under their next opponent: the University of Buffalo Bulls (14-2, 3-2 in MAC play). The RedHawks will travel to the Bulls Saturday afternoon.

@thekethan04

babukc2@miamioh.edu