Early foul trouble led NIU men’s basketball (2-2) to its second loss of the season in a 76-60 defeat against the Bradley University Braves (3-1).
11 first half fouls from the Huskies led to Bradley taking a commanding 43-33 lead into halftime. The Huskies had four players commit 2 fouls in the first half, three of the four players being members of the starting lineup.
NIU finished the game with 20 personal fouls, as seven of the eight Huskies to appear in the game finished with multiple fouls. On the other side of the floor, the Braves committed 15 fouls Saturday.
Sophomore guard Quention Jones and junior forward Ethan Butler led the scoring charge for NIU in the first half, as they both finished the first 20 minutes of play in double figures.
Jones led the team in scoring, with 14 points in the first half, and finished the game with 19 points, while also blocking three shots and collecting 2 steals.
Butler had 10 points in the first half, finishing the game with 15 while also grabbing 4 rebounds. The University of Oregon transfer is the only Huskie to score in double figures in every contest this season.
Senior guard James Dent Jr. entered Saturday’s game as the Huskies leading scorer this season, averaging 16 points per game and sinking 63% of his shots, 60% from three.
Due to early foul trouble, Dent missed the majority of the first half.
As a result, Dent finished the game with only 6 points, his first game this season held under double figures. Dent shot 2-for-6 from the field and 0-for-3 from beyond the arch.
Braves fifth-year guard Duke Deen was the leading scorer for the Braves, leading his team to victory with 16 points. Deen also snagged 5 rebounds and dished out 5 assists.
Junior center Ahmet Jonovic was another key contributor for the Braves, as he contributed 12 points off the bench to Bradley’s offensive attack. The Serbian native fouled out late in the second half, logging only 20 minutes as a result.
Coming in at 7-foot-1, Jonovic played a big role in the game for the Braves. NIU – whose tallest players stand in at 6 ‘9 – did not have the size to compete with the Braves’ big man.
As a team, the Huskies shot an inefficient 40.7% from the field (22-for-54) while shooting a season-worst 22.7% from the field (5-for-22).
Jones was the only Huskies to make multiple three pointers in the contest, while sophomore guard Nasir Muhammad struggled shooting the three ball, as he finished the game 1-for-6 from three.
The Huskies did win the turnover battle, creating 16 turnovers from the Bradley offense while surrendering only 12. NIU also outscored the Braves in points off turnovers, 25-16, and points in the paint, 30-28.
UP NEXT
The Huskies’ next contest is at 6 p.m.Wednesday at the Convocation Center in DeKalb against Elon University. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be available via SIDEARM Stats.
