The women’s basketball team extended their winning streak to 18 games Saturday with a 76-70 overtime win against Northern Illinois.

The win, which improves the Falcons’ record to 18-2 (7-0 MAC) this season, proved to be the Falcons’ toughest victory to date.

In their hardest Mid American Conference matchup of the season so far, BG met the MAC West-leading Huskies in Dekalb, Ill.

“It was a fantastic game,” head coach Curt Miller said. “No one deserved to lose that game.”

The game was a back and forth affair throughout that saw 11 lead changes. The score was tied at both the half, and the end of regulation, before the Falcons pulled away in overtime.

“Northern threw a ton of knockout punches, but we just wouldn’t go away,” Miller said.

The big individual story on the day was the emergence of point guard Tracy Pontius. Pontius, who has been a consistent producer for the Falcons this season, but never really being the front woman, exploded, scoring a career high 31 points.

Perhaps what makes this total the most impressive however, is that 24 of those 31 points came in the second half and in overtime.

Pontius went 5-7 from three point range, and 10-12 from the line, while the Huskies couldn’t provide an answer to her defensively.

“It quickly turned into her show,” Miller said.

Lauren Prochaska once again turned in a solid effort. She once again finished a single rebound shy of a double-double, and raked in 13 points.

With Pontius and Prochaska leading the way offensively, the Falcons also got big efforts from their other three starters, Lindsey Goldsberry, Niki McCoy and Tara Breske. Prochaska never sat down the entire game, and only three players were brought in off the bench, for a total of 19 combined minutes.

The win solidifies the Falcons as the conference’s top team for now. Northern Illinois could very well have been the conference’s number two team, and BG downed them on their home court.

Next up for the Falcons will be Ball State, who they will host tomorrow night in Anderson Arena.