The Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team used an 18-0 run in the third quarter to overcome a 10-point deficit and go on to a 56-46 win over Miami, clinching a spot in next week’s Mid-American Conference Tournament at Rocket Mortgage Field House in Cleveland.

“I’ve said all year that we’re at our best when everybody contributes and understands what they need to do when they step on the floor,” said NIU head coach Lisa Carlsen. “We definitely did that tonight, it took everybody. It wasn’t the prettiest ball game, but I was really proud of our defensive effort.”

Trailing 35-25 after Miami’s Jadyn Scott made a layup with 6:16 to play in the third quarter, Brooke Stonebraker’s (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles HS) layup at 5:52 started an 18-0 run that ended with a Tara Stauffacher (Columbus, Wis./Beaver Dam HS) three-pointer at 9:39 of the fourth quarter, and NIU leading 43-35.  In between, Laura Nickel (Marshall, Wis./Marshall HS), who scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds off the bench for NIU, made just her second three-pointer of the season; Stauffacher cut the RedHawks’ lead to two, 35-33, with 3:20 to play in the third.  A Stonebraker free throw put NIU within one and Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) put the Huskies ahead to stay, 37-35, with a three with 1:57 on the clock. Senior Grace Hunter (Monroeville, Ind./Bellmont) followed 45 seconds later with a three on an assist from Stonebraker, giving NIU a 40-35 lead at the end of the third quarter.

McCrea led the Huskies in scoring with 15 points and added six rebounds, five assists and four steals, but it was the NIU bench that made its mark with 26 points from Nickel, Hunter – who scored nine points, all on threes, while adding seven rebounds – and Stauffacher, whose two threes came during the NIU 18-0 run.

NIU shot 8-for-17 from three in the game and was a torrid five-for-seven in the third quarter.  For the game, NIU shot 39.6 percent and held Miami to just 34.0 percent from the field in the game.

Both teams started slowly on offense with just 10 total points scored in the first quarter, which ended with NIU leading 7-3.  In the second quarter a basket from Nickel and a three-pointer from Hunter pushed the NIU lead to 12-3. Stonebraker added two free throws to put the Huskies up 14-3, closing out a 9-0 run.

Miami bounced back by going on a 14-0 run of their own over 4:55 to take a 17-14 lead. The RedHawks led at the break, 21-18, and pushed the lead to 10 in the opening minutes of the second half, which they maintained until NIU made its 18-0 run. The RedHawks scored for the first time in over seven minutes as Amber Tretter capitalized on an and-one.

NIU spent the next few minutes extending their lead, which grew to as many as 12 points in the closing moments as NIU sealed the tournament clinching win.

“We want to continue to build momentum going to Cleveland,” Carlsen said. “It’ll take a great effort at Western [Michigan} on Saturday, and I think it will be a great opportunity for us to play 40 more minutes of basketball and really continue to refine some things. We’re looking forward to it and we’re super excited to have the opportunity to go the conference tournament and make some noise.”

The RedHawks were led in scoring by Tretter with 16 points.

The Huskies are back in action at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 9 as NIU closes out the regular season at Western Michigan.