DeKALB – In a game that seemingly had more whistles than field goals, Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois found it hard to get into a rhythm on Sunday at the Convocation Center.
But it was the Huskies who won the game at the free throw line on their way to a 74-65 win against the Salukis. NIU (2-1) went 35 of 44 from the charity stripe, a big reason why the Huskies were able to keep the Salukis (0-3) from taking a lead in the second half.
“Free throws, we shoot those every day.,” said NIU guard Marke Freeman, who was 13 of 14 from the line on her way to 17 points. “ As far as pressure, I know I have my team to back me up... We shoot those every day and we shoot a lot of them. It’s just confidence.”
All of Freeman’s free throws came in the second half, after the junior guard sat on the bench for nine minutes of the first half.
“I felt like I was holding myself back,” Freeman said. “I was hesitant and I wasn’t really as aggressive as I should be. With the ball in my hand a lot of time, I’m where it starts.”
In the second half, the two teams combined for 49 free-throw attempts as the game turned into a contest of who could make more free throws. Neither team could get much going on offense in terms of a fast-paced game, although both teams shot better percentage-wise in the second half.
“You can’t control that, absolutely,” said NIU coach Carol Owens. “I think the fans probably would have appreciated a better game with the flow, but we know early on in the season that that’s going to be the emphasis from the officials.”
The final minute of play alone took 10 minutes, as nine fouls were called, including three technicals and included two referee conferences to discuss how to proceed.
Southern Illinois coach Missy Tiber, was whistled for a technical foul and Freeman and SIU guard Teri Oliver were a part of a double technical.
“I think it’s just both of us being competitors,” Freeman said. “It was the heat of the moment. I reacted. I probably could have handled it a lot better, I was just surprised to get hit in the face.”
Mauvolyene Adams led the Huskies with 22 points, a career-high, and 10 rebounds
“A win is always a good win,” Owens said. “We didn’t play the perfect game that we wanted to play. We felt like when it mattered, our ladies stepped up. Sometimes you have to win a little ugly. We had that little spurt in the second half that put us over the hump.”
