Iowa Women's Basketball Tip Time Preview: Northern Illinois

TIME:

TV: BTN+ – AJ Reisetter and Hayden Hoxmeier

SERIES: 13th Meeting – Iowa leads the series 7-5, last loss 1993

OFFENSE: IOWA:NIU:

DEFENSE: IOWA: NIU:

Guard Chelby Koker

A sixth-year senior, Chelby Koker has appeared in 102 games with 75 starts in her NIU career. She has plenty of collegiate experience under her belt, so don't expect her to be intimidated facing Iowa. Koker has also played a lot of quality basketball for the Huskies. A three-time All-MAC honoree, she helped NIU to a WBI appearance in the 2022-23 season. Koker, for her career, averages 15.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, including averaging 21.1 points per game as a sophomore. She has totaled 77 career games in double figures scoring, including 30 games with 20+ points scored.

Forward Brooke Stonebraker vs Center Addi O'Grady/Ava Heiden

In the exhibition against Missouri Western, Jan Jensen's post duo did not see much height match up against them defensively. Standing at 6'3, Brooke Stonebraker led NIU in scoring and rebounding last season, so she will provide a tougher test in the interior. Jan Jensen says that she doesn't want O'Grady and Heiden to worry about who is in the starting lineup, but you'd imagine that eventually, whoever is playing the best will get the nod. This will Heiden's first opportunity to showcase what she can do against DI competition.

The Huskies are under the direction of tenth year head coach and Earling, Iowa native Lisa Carlsen. Last season, NIU finished with a 14-16 overall record and an 8-10 mark in MAC play. They were 0-4 against Q1/2 opponents, including a 75-54 loss at Wisconsin. NIU won their season-opener on Monday against Louisiana, 57-55.

While guard Chelby Koker is the top player to watch for NIU, there are a couple more names to keep an eye on tonight, starting with forward Brooke Stonebraker. In the absence of Koker last season, Stonebraker was the Huskies leading scorer, averaging 11.4 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. She scored in double figures in 19 games, but Stonebraker will arguably be a bigger threat on the glass where she totaled 12 games with 10+ rebounds, including 16 boards against Western Michigan.

Rounding out the players to know for NIU are a pair of transfer additions. Southeast Missouri State transfer guard Alecia Doyle comes over after averaging 13.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game last season for the Redhawks. A Second Team All-OVC selection, Doyle scored in double figures in 23 games, including a career-high 31 points against Tennessee Tech.

Although she came off the bench in the opener against Louisiana, Bradley transfer Reagan Barkema put up 12 points in 25 minutes, including three made three-pointers. As a sophomore at Bradley last season, Barkema appeared in 30 games with 25 starts, averaging 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while knocking 45 three-pointers.

WarrenNolan Projection: Iowa 84 NIU 60