DeKALB – NIU men’s basketball (5-3) suffered another second half collapse as the Huskies lost to Indiana State University (8-1) 90-67 for their second consecutive loss.
The Huskies started strong with a 6-0 run to open the contest, and they entered the half in a one-score game, trailing 40-39.
Everything went downhill in the final 20 minutes for the Huskies. For the second straight game, NIU was outscored by 22 or more in the second half.
Sophomore forward Xavier Amos said overconfidence is to blame for the second half struggles.
“I think in the first half we’re sticking to what we know, sticking to what we practice,” Amos said. “I think in the second half we get too caught up in our good first half, and we’re not sticking with what we’re doing. We start veering away from our routine and what we practice, and it’s causing us to lose to a good team like Northwestern and Indiana State.”
SHOOTING WOES CONTINUE
The Sycamores shot 52.4% from the field, 40.7% from three and 100% from the free throw line. ISU also led NIU in rebounds 46-28.
Junior guard Isaiah Swope led ISU in scoring with 27 points and rebounds with 10.
ISU sophomore guard Ryan Conwell also put up 15 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and recorded 5 assists in only 29 minutes on the court.
The Huskies shot 39.1% from the field, 25.9% from three and 55.6% from the free throw line, including eight misses from the charity stripe. NIU recorded just 5 assists in the game.
NIU men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno highlighted the Huskies’ poor teamwork offensively.
“We have five assists,” Burno said. “We can’t win any games at this level versus this opponent with five assists. So, the ball needs to move, player needs to move. So, that’s the biggest emphasis coming out of tonight and moving forward.”
KEY INJURIES PERSIST
Injuries bit NIU in the second half, as senior guard Keshawn Williams left the game due to injury. Williams returned to action Tuesday in his first game since Jan. 7 when he suffered a season-ending knee injury.
“We’ll get more information, probably in the next 24 hours,” Burno said. “It didn’t look serious, but we gotta wait for X-rays and speaking to the doctors.”
Senior forward Harvin Ibarguen also missed his second game in a row to injury. Burno said he is day-to-day.
The loss drops NIU out of second place in the MAC standings and into a tie for fourth.
The Huskies will play their next game at 1 p.m. Saturday against Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Live streaming will be available on FloHoops. Live stats will be available on Stat Broadcast.
