Women’s Basketball | October 28

DeKALB, IL – Northern Illinois University Athletics held its annual Winter Sports Media Day Thursday at the Convocation Center as women’s basketball head coach Lisa Carlsen and select Huskies met the media in advance of the upcoming season.
 
“Anytime we have media day that means the season is really right around the corner,” said Carlsen as she begins her seventh season at the helm of the Huskies. “I don’t know that I’ve been as excited, or more excited, about a team as I am this year. We have great leadership, great experience and great talent which should lead to a lot of success.”
 
NIU returns all five starters from last season, including junior guard Chelby Koker (Racine, Wis./Shoreland Lutheran) who was an All-MAC Second Team selection. Koker led NIU with 21 points and 3.8 assists per game last season while leading the league in free throw percentage at 88.9 percent. The Huskies also return the reigning MAC Sixth Woman of the Year in redshirt-senior guard Janae Poisson (Matteson, Ill./Marian Catholic). Poisson led the MAC, and was ninth in the nation, in three-point field goal percentage at 45.1 percent a year ago.
 
“We’re excited for a fresh start,” Koker said. “We’re a little bit more experienced and looking to be at the top of the MAC [Mid-American Conference]. Our on-court chemistry has been good so far, and having a summer together helped us just really understand how everyone plays.”
 
“I’m excited about our offense and to see how we execute on the floor,” Poisson added. “The work the coaches have put into it and the many different looks out of it for me as a shooter has me excited. I love that the expectations for us this season are higher.”
 
The Huskies take the floor in exhibition action Friday night at 7 p.m. against Benedictine at the Convocation Center, with the season opener on Tuesday, Nov. 9 against Illinois State at 6 p.m. On Friday night, fans attending the NIU volleyball match against Kent State (5 p.m.) can use their ticket for free admission to the NIU women’s basketball exhibition.
 
Season tickets for the 2021-22 NIU women’s basketball season start at $35 for a General Admission seat. A Reserved season ticket (sections 103, 112 and 113) costs $50. Season tickets can be purchased by clicking on this link.  Season ticket members can also renew their tickets by logging on to the link here. For more ticket information, log on to NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or call 815-753-PACK (7225). Courtside seats and other premium options are available through the Huskie Athletic Fund at 815-753-1923 or by logging on to HuskieAthleticFund.com.
 
–NIU–