NIU Heads To Akron Wednesday

January 7, 2025
|In Local Highlights, NIU Sports, What WDKB Is Talking About
|By Peyton

The Northern Illinois University women’s basketball team goes back on the road this Wednesday to take on the Akron Zips at James A. Rhodes Arena. Tip-off is at 5 p.m. CT with the game broadcast on ESPN+ as well as 94-9 WDKB, the NIU Huskies app and TuneIn.

NIU (7-6, 1-1 MAC) looks to bounce back from Saturday’s 71-55 loss to Ohio at the NIU Convocation Center. Freshman guard Lexi Carlsen (Sycamore, Ill./Sycamore) led the Huskies with a season-high 17 points. She made a season-high five three-pointers and leads NIU with 25 threes this season. Since the start of December Carlsen is averaging 9.3 points per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the three-point line.

Redshirt-Sophomore forward Brooke Blumenfeld (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North) is averaging 10.5 points per game over her last eight games. She had 10 points in the second half of the win at Toledo on Jan. 1, following that up with nine points and four rebounds against Ohio on Saturday. Blumenfeld has scored less than eight points in a game just once in NIU’s last 10 games.

The Huskies are 12th in the country in three-point percentage at 38.2 percent. The Huskies are also fourth in the Mid-American Conference with 7.5 three-pointers per game. On Saturday NIU was 8-for-30 from the three-point arc, the ninth time this season the Huskies made at least six threes in a game.

NIU leads the all-time series against Akron 26-12. The Zips won both meetings against the Huskies last season to snap NIU’s six-game winning streak in the series. Akron is 7-7 on the year and 1-1 in the MAC after a 74-54 loss to Toledo on Saturday. Senior guard Alexus Mobley led all players with 23 points and added five rebounds and five steals. Shelbee Brown and Zakia Rasheed each had 11 points. Mobley leads Akron in scoring at 13.0 points per game.

The Huskies return to the Convocation Center on Saturday, Jan. 11 to host Western Michigan at 1 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com and by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225). Saturday’s game is a $5 Kids Combo day at the Convocation Center. The Kids Combo includes a hot dog, a bag of chips and a small soft drink or water for five dollars for kids ages 13 and under.