While Northern Illinois provided that battle, ISU found the net with several key shots late and brought home a 69-66 nonconference victory before a crowd of 626.
"I'm really relieved we got the win. We did enough. Sometimes that's what it takes," Redbirds coach Kristen Gillespie said. "We knew it would be a grind out game. We got off to a great start, but we kind of let up a little bit."
ISU, which improved to 3-1, enjoyed a 40-27 advantage midway through the third quarter. Northern (2-2) fought back for a 58-58 tie as Courtney Woods hit a 3-pointer and Myia Starks drove for a layup with 1:57 to play.