WELCOME BACK TO THE HORIZON LEAGUE.

Northern Illinois University have swapped out head coaches and almost all the players of their perennially inconsistent women's basketball team.  This year they will attempt to sail fully loaded for Cleveland in the Mid-American Conference.  Horizon League member Wisconsin-Milwaukee played a nonconference game.  "Huskies' Late Charge Falls Short In 76-65 Loss To Milwaukee."

With a new coach and all those new players coming through the transfer portal, there might be some getting-to-know-you challenges.

"I was proud we held them to seven points in the second quarter," said head coach Jacey Brooks. "I told the team at halftime that I hope it gives them a sense of confidence that they could guard Milwaukee. We forced two shot clock violations and did some good things, but we let them loose in the first quarter and that was the difference in the game."

The Huskies closed the gap to eight in the third quarter. A Laccen three-point play with 5:03 to play capped a quick 5-0 run that made the score 45-37 and put Laccen up to 18 points on the night. The Panthers then scored 10 of the next 13 to go up 55-40 going into the fourth. Milwaukee took its largest lead of the game with 7:28 to play when Fitzgibbon's fifth three of the night made the score 63-44. NIU chipped away at the Panthers lead but only got as close as nine points in the final minute when a Laccen layup put the score at 70-61.

"Everything that could have gone wrong at the end of the first did," Brooks said. "I'm proud of the team and the fight they showed the rest of the way. We tried to keep it close and we had some bench players step up in the fourth quarter. As we know, this is all a process. It's part of the journey. We're continuing to get experience on the court."

The journey might be long and winding.  The next opponent was Western Illinois, of the Ohio Valley Conference, which might have been another refuge from the Mid-American with the football only move to the Mountain West.

The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team held an opponent under 70 points for the first time this season but could not make up for a cold-shooting second quarter in a 68-50 loss to the Western Illinois Leathernecks at the NIU Convocation Center Tuesday night.

"I do believe the final score doesn't show how close that game was," said head coach Jacey Brooks. "Western Illinois is a very solid, veteran team. They returned all five of their starters from a year ago and that showed compared to how young we are."

Tonight: a getting-to-know-you visit to future Horizon League rival Illinois-Chicago.