With the NIU men’s basketball team down to nine players, three of them walk-ons, any victory is bound to be a team effort.

And that was certainly the case last night in Charleston as the depleted Huskies stunned Eastern Illinois 76-67 in a Mid-Continent Conference match.

NIU head coach Brian Hammel played eight Huskies last night, and all of them responded:

Walk-on guard and converted football wide receiver Vaurice Patterson tallied a career-high 17 points; senior guard Mike Hidden scored a team-high 19; Brian Molis, playing on a badly sprained ankle, added 13 and NIU’s inside tandem of Randy Fens and Steve Oldendorf scored 11 each to lead the way.

“It was totally a team effort … it was a real character win,” Hammel said. “We played hurt, but we didn’t play injured. They sucked it up and did an outstanding job.”

The Huskies’ gutsy win, accomplished despite foul trouble and nagging injuries, moved their record to 6-11 overall, 4-4 in the Mid-Continent.

Eastern Illinois, a preseason favorite to contend for the Mid-Continent crown, dropped to 8-7, 3-4.

Eastern guard Steve Rowe hit two free throws to open the game’s scoring. But the Huskies quickly tied it on a Fens basket and never trailed again. A Fens jumper late in the first half gave NIU a 25-13 lead—its biggest margin. The Panthers chipped into the Huskies’ lead the rest of the way.

Midway through the second half, senior forward Dave Olson hit a three-pointer to bring EIU to within 53-51. NIU rebuilt the lead to seven, but Rowe hit consecutive baskets to make it 68-65 with two minutes left.

The Huskies, however, didn’t fold.

With 1:26 left, Hidden hit two free throws, followed by a Fens jumper and a Hidden basket to make it 74-65. Fens and Hidden each hit a free throw to provide the final margin.

“We handled the ball so much better tonight. We had a great inside-outside attack (which) put us in a position to shoot,” said Hammel of the Huskies’ sizzling 61 percent shooting. “The outcome is evidence of that.”

Howe led the Panthers with 20 points, followed by Barry Johnson’s 15 and 13 each by Curtis Leib and Olson.

NIU has a non-conference match up next, a 7:30 Wednesday night game against Loyola-Chicago at the Rosemont Horizon.