DEKALB, Ill. (12-10-23) - Junior
Emma Trawally Porta scored a team-high 16 points shooting a blistering 8-for-16 from the field with four rebounds and two assists as Detroit Mercy saw its three-game win streak come to an end with a hard-fought 75-66 setback at Northern Illinois in Sunday after at the Convocation Center.
Senior
Irene Murua also shot 50% from the field going 5-for-10 to add 15 points going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line while grabbing six rebounds with four assists.
Freshman
Paris Gilmore added eight points while Sophomore
Myonna Hooper chipped with six points followed by six from senior
Jada Moorehead.
Both teams shot over 40% from the field but NIU's (4-5) shooting from long range proved to be the difference as the Huskies went 9-for-16 (56.3%) compared to 4-for-20 (20.0%) for UDM (7-4).
Trailing by three points entering the fourth quarter, Trawally-Porta continued her hot shooting with a layup followed by a 3-pointer for Gilmore giving the Titans the lead at 55-54 at the 8:24 mark. NIU responded with a 6-0 run to move back ahead 60-55. The Huskies' run continued at 11-2 to move ahead 65-57 left before Murua hit a layup and covered an and-1 free throw to pull UDM within five, 65-60, with 2:53 to go.
Murua added another layup cutting the deficit to four points at 66-62. NIU the added another triple to go back up by seven points at the 1:58 mark. After Murua sank a pair of free throws to pull the Titans within five points, freshman
Makayla Jackson had an open look but couldn't get the 3-point attempt to fall with just a minute remaining. UDM was then forced to foul to extend the game. Jackson did add a pair of free throws cutting the deficit to 70-66 with 40 seconds left. However, NIU was able to seal the deal from the charity stripe while the Titans missed their last two attempts from the field.
In the first half, Detroit Mercy held a 20-16 lead in the first quarter but was outscored 17-11 in the second frame to trail by two points at the half, 33-31.
Both teams played even in the third quarter with NIU holding a slim 20-19 scoring advantage to take a slim three-point lead, 53-50, heading into the fourth quarter.
