Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) has been named the Mid-American Conference Co-Player of the Week for her performance in the Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team’s 60-51 win at Western Michigan on Saturday.

Koker led all players with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists in the Huskies’ third consecutive win. With her 20 points against the Broncos, Koker moved into fifth place all-time at NIU in points with 1,813. It was her eighth game this season with at least 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Koker has scored at least 15 points in six of the last eight games.

This is the second time Koker has earned a MAC weekly honor in her career. Koker was last named MAC Player of the Week on Dec. 5, 2022. She shared the award this week with Ally Becki of Ball State. This is the second straight week NIU has had a Player of the Week with Alecia Doyle (Carterville, Ill./SEMO) winning the honor last week after averaging 22.5 points per game in wins over Kent State and App State. The last time NIU had back-to-back MAC Players of the Week was in the 2018-19 season with Courtney Woods and Mikayla Voigt.

Koker is the third Huskie to be named MAC Player of the Week this season. Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) was named Player of the Week on Dec. 17 after a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double in the Huskies’ 82-78 win over Indiana State.

NIU (12-12, 5-7 MAC) rides a three-game winning streak into Wednesday night’s game at Ohio, with tip-off at Ohio’s Convocation Center at 6 p.m. This is the Huskies’ second three-game winning streak this season. NIU has gotten off to good starts in the last three games, outscoring the opposition 56-36 in the first quarter. The Huskies have shot 47.5 percent from the field and 45.9 percent from the three-point arc during this current winning streak.

Led by Lexi Carlsen’s (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) 43.0 percent shooting from long range, NIU leads the MAC in three-point shooting at 37.0 percent. That mark puts the Huskies 15^th in the country from the three-point arc. NIU has made 28 of its last 61 three-point attempts over the last three games and are fourth in the MAC with 7.4 made three-pointers per game.

Ohio (4-19, 2-10 MAC) is second in the MAC in three-pointers per game at 7.5 and leads the league with 26.5 three-point attempts per game. The Bobcats are coming off a 79-67 loss to Buffalo on Saturday. The Bulls shot 50 percent from the field and forced 31 turnovers. Ohio was 11-for-23 from the three-point line with Bailey Tabeling making five threes for a team-high 19 points. Tabeling had 28 points in the first meeting between the two teams this season, a 71-55 Ohio win in DeKalb on Jan. 4.

The Huskies are back at the NIU Convocation Center to host Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Feb. 22 for the “Cram The Convo” doubleheader with the NIU men’s basketball team. NIU will be honoring cancer patients, survivors and caregivers in the annual Play 4 Kay Pink Game in partnership with the Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Cancer Center. Fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink and stop by the marketing table to receive a pink “I Fight For” lunch tote while supplies last.