NIU junior guard Keshawn Williams tied his career-high 32 points in a 67-57 upset victory over Indiana State University in Thursday’s afternoon matchup.

The Huskies went into Thursday’s game with a record of 3-9, the worst record in the Mid-American Conference. Indiana State sat atop the Missouri Valley Conference with a 9-3 record.

Williams led the Huskies on both ends of the floor the entire game. Williams shot 13-for-20 from the field, including 3-for-6 from three. Many of his three-point attempts were contested but none more than his last three-point make: a one-legged floater with a hand in his face to beat the buzzer.

“Those are the types of shots in practice that we just joke around and shoot, one-legged threes,” Williams said. “But when I shot it, it just felt (like) muscle memory.”

Williams recorded nine rebounds and two steals in the winning effort. Although his individual performance was the story of the game, Williams emphasized the importance of playing as a team.

“We (excelled at) playing together,” Williams said. “We just stayed with it. We didn’t complain. We did the right things and we pulled it out.”

Sophomore guard David Coit scored 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, along with seven rebounds and two assists. 13 of Coit’s 19 points were scored in the first half.

Coit scored all over the floor, shooting 3-for-6 from three-point range and draining a few mid-range jump shots. Coit’s lone assist of the first half was an alley oop pass finished by junior forward Harvin Ibarguen.

Coit and Williams were the only double-digit scorers for NIU.

“Win or lose, the team is always going to look at us to lead,” Coit said. “Not just in scoring, but being vocal. Just getting this win feels so good, especially coming off the loss we just had. It was a quick turnaround.”

The Huskies were hot to start the game, shooting at a 52% clip in the first half. Ball movement and drives to the basket set up multiple easy dunks for Williams. NIU recorded two turnovers to end the first half, both resulting in easy layups for the Sycamores. The Huskies led 35-29 at halftime.

The Huskies did not give up the lead in the second half. 22 second-half points from Williams helped NIU lead by as much as 14. With seven minutes left, Indiana State began a 7-0 run to bring the Sycamores within five. The Sycamores’ run was halted by Williams’ circus shot three-pointer, a shot that essentially iced the game for the Huskies.

“Everyone stepped up,” NIU men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno said. “Obviously Keshawn was being Keshawn. He hit some ridiculous shots. But I thought everyone’s minutes were productive. We had nine guys put the ball in the hole. This was a tremendous accomplishment for us.”

The Huskies continue their three-game road trip against the University of Akron at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Akron, Ohio. The game will be streamed on ESPN3/+.