NIU holds Monmouth without a field goal for 9 minutes, cruises to win

DeKALB – A scoring push late in the first half staked the NIU men’s basketball team to a lead Tuesday night against Monmouth.

A sustained defensive effort in the second half secured the win.

The Huskies scored 19 straight points spanning the first and second halves, holding Monmouth without a field goal for more than nine minutes in a 79-66 win.

“It’s just a commitment to playing hard on defense,” said Ethan Butler, who had 15 points, three blocks and a steal in the win. “I feel like everyone is buying into getting stops. Scoring is cool, but if you can stop the other team from scoring, it means a lot more.”

The win was the second in a row for the Huskies (2-1) and first against an NCAA Division I opponent. In their last game, they allowed less than 40 points in a 105-37 home win against Holy Cross College, an NAIA school out of Indiana.

On Tuesday, the Huskies were trailing the Hawks (0-3) 34-32 late in the first half. Quentin Jones started the NIU run with a free throw, then drained a 3-pointer to put the Huskies back on top 36-34 – a lead they would not relinquish.

Jones started the second half with four straight points. The run ended when Nasir Muhammad hit a 3-pointer with 16:46 left as the Huskies led 51-34.

Jones said since it’s so early in the season, that stretch is a huge indicator of what the team is capable of.

“It’s early so hopefully we can keep that going,” said Jones, a transfer from Cal Poly who matched a career high with 22 points. “That’s important, making sure we’re all clicking and we’re all making shots.”

The NIU lead peaked at 65-46 on a 3-pointer by Joe Munden. The Hawks got as close as 73-63 with 2:12 left but no closer.

NIU coach Rashon Burno said he liked how his team handled Abdi Bashir defensively. He led all scorers with 25 points but was 9 for 21 from the floor and 2 for 8 from long range.

He said it was part of an overall defensive effort that showed a willingness to play and compete.

“It shows the growth of this team and the maturity of this team to go up eight, be on a 10-0 run, and start the first four minutes of the second half and still be focused on the details that were required,” Burno said.

Kailon Nicholls and James Dent each scored 10 for the Huskies. Dent was just 2 for 5 from the field, but was 4 of 6 from the line.

Burno said he still impacted the game.

“James Dent didn’t have a stellar shooting night, but he was the focal point of their defense,” Burno said. “But he was our leading plus-minus at plus 18. He really impacted the game by just being out there and playing the right way.”

The Huskies were without Terry Copeland for the second straight game. The 6-foot-9 freshman played 18 minutes against Georgia Southern in the opener but hasn’t played since.

Burno said Copeland is day-to-day with an unspecified injury and thought there was a chance he could have been back. That led the Huskies playing a four-guard lineup.

The Huskies are back in action Saturday at Bradley.