DeKALB – Home struggles continued for NIU men’s basketball as Ohio University took down the Huskies Tuesday night 82-76. The Bobcats handed the Huskies their third loss in their past four home games. 

Coming into the game, NIU was 3-4 at home and Ohio was just 2-9 on the road. Junior guard Jaylin Hunter led the Bobcats to their third road win, scoring 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting off the bench. 

“A lot of it (the struggling at home) is focus,” NIU men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno said. “On the road it’s a different vibe, I can control the environment, I can control what we talk about. They (the players) have yet to grasp the importance of discipline when it comes to playing at home because there’s a lot of distractions.”

Ohio’s aggressive play was a big help in earning their second consecutive win. The Bobcats’ aggressiveness led to 21 NIU fouls, as well as sophomore forward Oluwasegun Durosinmi and junior forward Harvin Ibarguen fouling out. 

“It (the reason for the loss) was more so fouls,” Burno said. “If you look at all of our games that we lose, our front court gets themselves in harm’s way, so we have to do better there.”

NIU senior guard Kaleb Thornton was a bright spot for the Huskies, tying a career high with 21 points on 9-for-16 shooting. Thornton also recorded eight assists.

BACK-AND-FORTH FIRST HALF

Ohio’s physical play and timely three-point shooting helped the Bobcats take a 46-39 lead into halftime after a back-and-forth first half. Ohio out-rebounded NIU 21-9 in the first half, led by graduate student forward Dwight Wilson III with seven boards. The Bobcats knocked down six of their 12 first half three-point attempts, two of which came in the final two and a half minutes.

The first half saw 13 lead changes and eight ties between the Mid-American Conference foes. The largest lead of the first half for either side was the seven-point advantage Ohio took into the break. 

“It was a hard fought game, both teams played pretty hard for the most part,” Burno said. “Hats off to Ohio, they came in and executed their game plan. They were really physical early on to start the game … They put us in really tough situations in regards to pick and roll coverage.”

It was a balanced effort for Ohio in the first half. The Bobcats had no double digit scorers in the first half, but eight of the 10 players who saw the floor recorded at least one field goal. Senior guard DeVon Baker led the way for Ohio with nine points on 3-for-4 shooting off the bench. 

Senior guard Darweshi Hunter remained hot for NIU, leading the Huskies with 11 points on 3-for-4 from three-point range at the half. Thornton led the way for NIU in terms of playmaking with six first half assists. Thornton also contributed nine points on 4-for-6 shooting. 

Thornton attributed his big scoring and passing night to attacking the rim and being able to get inside. 

“I think I’m a better finisher than a three-point shooter,” Thornton said. “I can also pass better when I get in the lane so that’s definitely a point of emphasis for me going forward.” 

HUSKIES’ COMEBACK ATTEMPT FALLS SHORT

Ohio took their first-half lead into the break and never lost it. The Bobcats led the entirety of the second half.

Ohio drew 13 second-half fouls, resulting in 15 free throw attempts in the final 20 minutes. Ohio made the Huskies pay at the line, cashing in 12 of their 15 attempts. Senior guard Miles Brown and freshman guard Elmore James each went 5-for-6 from the charity stripe in the second half. Brown finished with 16 points and James finished with 13 points. 

“It’s real frustrating,” Hunter said. “I feel like we lost this game with our mistake. We normally play a lot better than that, but we didn’t tonight and we came up short. If we play like we’re supposed to play, we win that game.”

NIU cut the lead to three twice in the final minute, the closest they had been since the three-minute mark of the first half. Sophomore guard David Coit missed the potential game-tying three with 44 seconds left, all but sealing the win for Ohio. 

“Earlier in the year, we probably would have folded and lost this game by 15 or 20 points,” Thornton said. “So I think it’s a step in the right direction. Obviously, we want to win and we didn’t do that tonight, but we’re showing that we have the fight to stay in the game mentally, not just physically. I’m proud of the guys for doing that.”

LOOKING FORWARD

With the loss, the Huskies now sit at 10-14, tied with University at Buffalo for fifth in the MAC. NIU’s next game will be against Western Michigan University at 3 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center. 

“We have to play better, point blank,” Hunter said. “We’re just not playing as well as we do on the road. I don’t know for what reason.”

NIU looks to rebound against the Broncos, who are 6-18 and losers of seven straight. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and will be available to listen to via The Varsity Network.