Friday, January 30, 2004
Women’s hoops trys to continue winning streak
Huskies travel to Toledo for conference battle
Article by:
Adam Zolmierski - Sports Reporter
• azolmierski@northernstar.info
After beginning the MAC season 0-2, NIU women’s basketball coach
Carol Hammerle has seen her Huskies win four of their last five games,
and now could move into a second-place tie on Saturday at Toledo.
The Huskies (9-9 overall, 4-3 MAC) need only a win at Toledo (9-9,
5-2), last season’s MAC West co-champion, at 6 p.m. Saturday.
“This is a big game for us,” NIU point guard Monique Davis
said. “It’s always a battle when we go to Toledo.”
Toledo and NIU rank third and fourth, respectively, in scoring defense,
but the Rockets scored 90 points on Tuesday night, beating Ball State.
The Rockets’ output on Tuesday has Hammerle worried about the approach
they will take against NIU.
“From what I’ve seen, I think they’re really struggling
to put the ball in the hole,” Hammerle said. “They’ve
been very deliberate in their offense, but against Ball State, they
got to the free-throw line 37 times.”
Toledo started the season 3-0 in the MAC, before losing two straight.
After wins over Ohio and Ball State, the Rockets now enjoy another two-game
winning streak.
Toledo’s main weapon, Hammerle said, is Kelly Walker, who leads
the MAC in three-pointers made with 46. However, Walker is only 15th
in the league in three-point percentage at 35.9 percent.
The Huskies’ lineup remains undecided, as it has been recently,
but Hammerle said that based on Toledo’s personnel, Stephanie Raymond
and Monique Davis should start at guard, while Jennifer Youngblood and
Rachel Sillar should start at forward.
Last season, Toledo finished 12-4 and tied for first in the MAC, but
the Huskies beat them 69-57 in DeKalb in their only meeting last season.
NIU overcame a nine-point halftime deficit to pull out the win last
season.
“We’re feeling good right now,” Davis said. “We’re
playing well at the right time and making that push into the MAC tournament.”
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