Jayden Marable (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) scored a career-high 26 points Saturday afternoon as the Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team earned a 91-84 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles at the NIU Convocation Center in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

Marable was 10-for-17 from the field in surpassing her previous career-high of 23 points set last season against Central Michigan. She also had 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season and a team-high six assists.

“I’m really happy for Jayden,” said head coach Lisa Carlsen. “There’s been a couple games where’s she’s been disappointed in terms of the ball not going in the basket. Her aggressiveness from the start gave her a lot of confidence and she was able to carry that throughout the game. She made some big shots and was able to control the game, which is what we need from her on a night-to-night basis.”

NIU (11-11) had its highest scoring quarter of the season in the first quarter Saturday. The Huskies were a perfect 6-for-6 from the three-point line and shot 66.7 percent overall from the field to take a 33-18 lead. Georgia Southern got within four, 13-9, at the 5:51 mark of the first when a Marable layup sparked a 15-3 Huskies run that put NIU ahead 28-12 with 1:34 left in the quarter.

Georgia Southern (13-12) rallied back in the second quarter. The Eagles went on a 14-2 run, with 10 points coming from Terren Ward and Diamond Stokes, over 4:03 to close within three points 38-35 with 4:41 to go until halftime. NIU turned the ball over six times in that run which led to five Eagles points. The Huskies responded with an 8-2 run over the next 2:51, with a pair of Tara Stauffacher (Columbus, Wis./Wisconsin) free throws putting NIU up 46-37 with 2:52 left in the first half. The Huskies went into the locker room leading 51-44.

Redshirt-junior guard Sidney McCrea (Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Prairie) caught fire from the three-point line in the third quarter. McCrea made three straight threes, including two in a 10-1 NIU run that put the Huskies up by 17 68-51 with 1:16 to play in the quarter. Ward led another Georgia Southern rally, starting a 9-1 run to close the third with a three-point play as the Eagles got within nine, 69-60, going into the fourth quarter.

NIU outscored the Eagles 11-4 to start the fourth, going 5-for-7 from the field to take an 80-64 lead with 6:35 to play. Georgia Southern made one last charge. The Eagles went on a 14-4 run over 3:48 to get within six, 84-78, with 2:28 to go. The Huskies closed the game out at the free throw line, going 7-for-10 in the last 1:32 to lock up a 91-84 victory.

Three other Huskies scored in double figures Saturday afternoon. McCrea had 16 points, going 4-for-5 from the three-point arc. Brooke Blumenfeld (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) had 15 points and a season-high eight rebounds. Stauffacher added 11 points off the bench.

NIU outrebounded the top rebounding team in the nation 50-40. Brooke Stonebraker (Versailles, Ohio/Versailles) led all players with 14 rebounds, tying a career-high. She pulled down 11 boards in the second half alone. The Huskies finished the game shooting 51.7 percent from the field and were 10-for-20 from the three-point line. Ward led Georgia Southern with 25 points and 12 rebounds.

“Georgia Southern provides so many challenges with their size and their ability to rebound the basketball,” Carlsen said. “I was proud of our effort on the glass with how undersized we were. We had great balance offensively with a lot of people stepping up.”

The Huskies wrap up their three-game homestand on Wednesday, Feb. 14 at 11 a.m. against Western Michigan on Education Day. For tickets, log on to NIUHuskies.com or call the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).