NIU men’s basketball dropped its sixth straight road game to start its season as they lost to the University of Northern Iowa Panthers 101-57.
NIU started the game dreadfully slow, as the Huskies first field goal of the game came at the 10:16 mark of the first half. NIU started the game 0-for-10 before making their first basket almost halfway through the first half.
“We had quality shots the first six minutes. We didn’t make them and they (Northern Iowa) did,” NIU men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno said. “We did a poor job of defending and just having different lineups and having guys in and out due to injuries.”
The Huskies first eight points of the game came from the free throw line, as they started the game 8-for-10 from the charity stripe.
The Huskies shot a meager 25.9% from the field in the first half, and finished the game shooting at a clip of 32.1%. NIU shot 13.3% from three in the first half, 20% for the game.
NIU finished the game shooting 75% from the free throw line, as NIU went 15-for-20 from the line.
The Panthers shot the ball well as a team, shooting 61.8% from the field and 50% from three in the contest.
NIU was without junior forward Ethan Butler and senior forward Oluwasegun Durosinmi, giving freshman forward Jayden Mott his second straight start.
“One thing we got coming up is a nice stretch where we can hopefully get Ethan Butler back so he can add some depth to the front court,” Burno said postgame about Butler’s possible return.
Mott was limited in the game due to foul trouble, playing just 16 minutes in the contest. The Huskies rolled with an undersized lineup throughout the game and were out-rebounded 46-22.
Sophomore guard Quentin Jones was the Huskies’ leading scorer in the first half, totaling 9 points and grabbing 4 rebounds. Jones also went 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the first half.
The sophomore guard was one of two Huskies to make a three-pointer in the first half.
Jones finished the game as the Huskies’ second leading scorer, finishing the game with 13 points, and led NIU with 6 rebounds.
Graduate guard Joe Munden Jr. tied his season high in points when he put up 8 points in the first half. Munden was the other Huskie to make a three-pointer in the opening half for NIU.
Munden finished the game as the Huskies’ leading scorer, as he scored in double figures for the first time this season. Munden finished the game with 14 points on 4-for-9 shooting and 1-for-5 from three.
The graduate student also collected 3 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.
“We talked about it postgame, a lot of it has started with his (Munden) approach to the game and just having confidence,” Burno said. “He’s starting to understand what he needs to do to try to help the ball club.”
Sophomore guard Kailon Nicholls was the third NIU player to finish in double digits, finishing the game with 12 points in 20 minutes of play on an efficient 5-for-8 shooting day as well as going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
The Panther’s duo of senior center Jacob Hutson and redshirt junior guard/forward Ben Schwieger both reached 20 points as Hutson led all scorers with 22.
Hutson and Schwieger both shot the ball efficiently for UNI in the game, as the two combined for 13-for-16 (81.3%) from the field and 5-for-6, 83.3%, from three.
The Huskies next game will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 18 against Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. Live streaming will be available on ESPN+.
