Western Michigan jumped out to an early lead by playing tough defense, and scoring down low. They did a great job of slowing down the tempo.
Ally Lehman went to the basket and scored an easy two in transition, and after a three by Cassidy Glenn, Northern Illinois was back into the game, trailing 8-7.
That completely flipped the momentum, and after an Ally Lehman three just two minutes later, the Huskies had already taken control of the game and led 16-8. Renee Sladek hit a jumper on their next possession, and they took an 8 point lead into the second quarter.
Much like they did in the first quarter, Western Michigan struggled to convert shots in the paint. Meanwhile, the Huskies found their rhythm, and stretched their lead to 30-16 with 5:54 to go in the half.
The offensive struggles continued for Western Michigan, as Northern Illinois went on a 32-8 run.
Kamrin Reed hit a pair of three pointers and Breanna Mobley hit a layup to give Western Michigan a tiny sliver of hope, but they were still trailing big, 44-24, at the half.
Western Michigan did a good job slowing down Northern Illinois to start the second half, but struggled to score on their own. At the 4:34 TV timeout, they were 16-53 from the floor, compared to 21-38 for the Huskies. A lot of those shots were from close. The struggles at the offensive end started seeping into every aspect of the game, and NIU had pushed the lead to 59-35.
Western Michigan gave great effort the rest of the way, but never could get going offensively, and fell 83-55.
The Broncos finished the game shooting 24 for 78.
Ally Lehman finished the game with 17 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists. Her last assist set a single season and career mark for the Huskies.
Courtney Woods led the Huskies with 19 points and Kelly Smith added 15.
Breanna Mobley led the Broncos with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Freshman Kamrin Reed added 12, all from beyond the arch.