CHICAGO—During Thursday night’s NIU game at UIC, the Huskies led only twice. Once at 4-2 and once when it really counted—at the end.

The Huskies found themselves trailing almost the entire night, but with 43 seconds left and NIU down 70-68, Mike Hidden hit the shot heard around the continent, as in Mid-Continent.

Hidden’s game-winning three-pointer gave NIU the Mid-Continent Conference Championship and put an appropriate cap to NIU’s incredible season.

“I saw Stacy (Arrington) penetrate, he saw me, threw it and I was wide open,” a jubilant Hidden said after the game. “Coach (Molinari) was yelling, ‘hit it Hidden, hit it Hidden.'”

Hidden proved he is good at taking directions by nailing the three from the baseline. UIC got the ball back and held for the last shot. With the clock winding down, an errant UIC shot was tangled in a scramble of players.

NIU received the ball on the alternating possession with two seconds left. UIC stole NIU’s inbounds pass, but a last-second shot was smothered by the Huskies.

“Mike has done it all year long,” Molinari said.

But no game this year was bigger than Thursday’s. With Wisconsin-Green Bay’s victory over Valparaiso, the Huskies (23-4, 14-2) were in a must-win situation if they wanted to capture the undisputed Mid-Con crown and the No. 1 seed in the M-C tourney.

The news that Green Bay had already won was added incentive for the Huskies. “We heard the score,” Hidden said, “(and) Coach Molinari said, ‘let’s go get it.'”

In the first half, it seemed as if nothing would stop UIC’s shooters. The Flames shot a blistering 61 percent and led by as many as 15 points. UIC’s jet-quick Tony Freeman singed the Huskies for 11 points and four assists in the half. Andrew Wells kept NIU close by tallying 12 points, but the half ended with UIC on top 42-35.

The second half saw repeated NIU comebacks turned away by the Flames before the NIU comeback capped by Hidden’s heroics.

NIU, ironically, will face UIC again in the tournament opener, Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Whatever the outcome of the tourney, Molinari feels his team has already been a success. “No one can take away that we’ve won the undisputed Conference Championship,” he said.

“We’re going in (to the M-C tournament, March 3 at Green Bay) as the No. 1 team. That was our goal,” Whiteside said. “Our next goal is to go to Green Bay and play three great games.”