FOLLOW OHIO WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

DeKalb, Ill.– The Ohio women's basketball team (2-12, 0-3 MAC) will get back on the road to play the NIU Huskies (9-5, 1-2 MAC) at the NIU Convocation Center this Saturday (Jan. 14th). The Bobcats look to win their first MAC contest of the year and defeat the Huskies after falling to them less than a year ago. The game will be played at 2 pm and can be streamed on ESPN3.

MID AMERICAN CONFERENCE PLAY
The Mid American Conference is back in full action and has proven to hold strong competition with the women's basketball programs. Both teams have competed in three conference matchups thus far with Ohio coming out 0-3 and the Huskies recording a 1-2 record. Saturday's game will mark the fourth MAC contest for the 2022-23 season. 

ALL-TIME SERIES 
The Ohio Bobcats have seen the NIU Huskies a multitude of times over the years in the Mid American Conference. The current all-time series between the two schools stands at 23-21 with Ohio in the lead by two contests. This extremely close record reflects the talent on both sides of the court over the years. 

LAST TIME OUT
The last matchup between the Ohio Bobcats and the NIU Huskies was in early February of 2022. This recent matchup was a little less than a year ago and was a direct reflection of their all-time series with a constant back and forth rhythm. The final score was 70-80, Ohio falling by 10 points. This was the not the first time Ohio faced the Huskies last season; as they fell to NIU the month earlier on Jan 8th in an even closer game. The final score was 68-71 and Ohio was led by Cece Hooks with 20 points, followed by Yaya Felder with 16. 

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES 
Most recently, Northern Illinois took on Western Michigan on the road, falling 70-79. The team was led in scoring by Janae Poisson with 18, followed by Chelby Koker with 17 points. Grace Hunter also reached double digits for NIU securing 11 points. A'Jah Davis grabbed the most rebounds with 14 and Jayden Marable was close behind with 10. Overall in the recent matchup the Huskies shot 35.1% (26-74) from the field goal, 33.3% (11-33) from the three point line, and held a free throw percentage of 63.6 (7-11). 

NIU NON-CONFERENCE SEASON
The Huskies started the season playing ranked Notre Dame on the road, falling 48-88. They recovered quickly to defeat Depaul (86-79), Southern Indiana (61-53), Western Illinois (100-611), and Detroit Mercy (65-63). The win streak continued for the Huskies as they competed in the Navy Tournament, defeating Navy (87-50), and Richmond (67-64). NIU stayed on the road to come out victorious against Eastern Illinois (71-69) and Lindenwood (67-56). Their non-conference season came to an end with back to back losses against SIUE (60-62), and IUPUI (72-85). 

LEADING HUSKIES
Currently leading the NIU team is Chelby Koker, accumulating 222 points this season, averaging 15.9 a game. Koker is followed by A'Jah Davis with 208 points, averaging 14.9 points a game. Davis also leads the team on defense with 158 rebounds: 94 defensive and 64 offensive. Other major players for the Huskies are Jayden Marable with 47 assists and 26 steals. Janae Poisson also holds an impressive 100% from the free throw line going 7 for 7.  

PROJECTED STARTERS FOR NIU
The probable starters for the NIU Huskies are; Jayden Marable (#3), Chelby Koker (#10), Emma Carter (#24),  A'Jah Davis (#25), and Laura Nickel (#32)

OHIO'S MOST RECENT STATS
The Bobcats ended their last game going 23 for 54 (42.6%) on field goal attempts, 9-23 (39.1%) from the three point line and seeing the line 11 times going 9 for 11 (81.8%) in free throws. The Bobcats also grabbed 27 rebounds, had 9 steals, and 12 assists. 

LAST TO LEAD
In the Bobcats last contest on Wednesday the 11th, they faced Buffalo where Yaya Felder led Ohio once more in scoring. Felder snagged 22 points and right behind her was Abby Garnett with 13 points. In terms of defense, Caitlyn Kroll grabbed 9 defensive rebounds where Yaya held 7 overall: 2 offensive and 5 defensive. Jaya McClure also proves to be an offensive threat once more with 4 assists.  

NOW LEADING OHIO
Overall, the Ohio Bobcats have been led by Yaya Felder in scoring for the majority of the season. Felder currently holds the lead in total points for the Bobcats with 258 points. Caitlyn Kroll follows Felder in scoring with 123 points, and then Jaya McClure with 107. Abby Garnett is also coming up for Ohio with 102 points and 51 rebounds. Caitlyn Kroll leads Ohio in rebounds, totaling 77; 68 defensive rebounds and 9 offensive. In terms of steals Yaya holds 31 for the season and Kroll is behind with 29. 

MATCHUP NOTES
- Ohio strives to earn their first MAC win of the season 
- Both teams faced IUPUI in the non-conference season and were defeated 
- The last two matchups between the MAC schools were taken by NIU in close battles 
- The two teams have strong offensive players on all angles and have strengths from the 3pt line
- Yaya Felder looks to get her 13th double figure point game of the season 

Up Next:
The Bobcats will continue MAC conference play and head home to the Convocation Center to play Western Michigan. The game is set to tipoff at 7pm and can be streamed live on ESPN3/+. 

#OUohyeah