DeKALB – Three days earlier, NIU men’s basketball allowed an 11-point halftime lead to slip away. On Tuesday, it battled back from an identical deficit against the University at Buffalo. But upon the blare of the final buzzer, the result was the same – another frustrating loss on home court.
Despite having four scorers finish in double figures, the Huskies (5-19, 1-10 MAC) failed to come away with a much-needed victory against the struggling Bulls (8-16, 3-8 MAC) on Tuesday night inside the Convocation Center in DeKalb.
Despite dropping 46 points in the second half, the Huskies suffered their fifth consecutive loss – and their 11th in the past 12 games.
“Disappointed with the start of the game, we came out flat,” head coach Rashon Burno said. “In the first half we took a lot of bad shots, a lot of quick shots and we had 10 turnovers in the first half. We are a team that averages around 10 for the entire game, 11 max. I thought our lack of attention to details in the first half hurt us. (Buffalo) scored 32 points in the first half, so we kept them on pace for their average, but what we did offensively put us behind the eight-ball.”
NIU’s efforts were especially hampered by sluggish 3-point shooting, making just one of its 13 attempts in the first half. The Huskies finished 18.2% (4-of-22) shooting on triples.
Sophomore guard Quentin Jones was NIU’s most effective 3-point scorer, shooting 2-of-5 from beyond the arc. The Chicago native led the Huskies with 18 points, while junior guard Quaran McPherson trailed closely with 17. Both recorded a team-best seven rebounds.
Meanwhile, junior forward Ethan Butler shot an efficient 5-for-7 from the field, adding 12 points. Senior guard James Dent Jr. rounded out NIU’s quartet of double-digit scorers with 11 points, despite missing all six of his triple attempts.
NIU fell behind quickly after Buffalo broke off a 5-0 run to start the game, though the Huskies would respond with seven-straight points to jump in front. The Bulls promptly regained the lead a minute later and continued to build separation through the first half. At halftime, the visitors held the upper hand, 32-21.
“This should have been a closer game in the first half, but we shot ourselves in the foot with our decisions we were making,” Burno said.
After what Burno described as a “pointed” conversation in the locker room, the Huskies came out of the break swinging – firing off on a scoring spree to tie the game at 45 with just under 10 minutes left in regulation.
“When you’re in these games, it’s a matter of whether you want to come out and fight or you’re going to lay down, and so the guys chose to fight.” Burno said.
However, NIU’s late resurgence couldn’t carry the team all the way. Buffalo was able to maintain a narrow lead for the final few minutes before putting the game away with two pairs of free throws in the final 12 seconds.
With yet another loss in the books, the Huskies sink further into the conference basement – now sitting two games behind Buffalo and Bowling Green State University (9-15, 3-8 MAC).
“Every dog has their day, and it’s all on who’s going to stick with it and who’s going to fold,” McPherson said. “And we’re not folding, despite the outcome.”
The Huskies will now look ahead to their upcoming rematch with Ball State University (12-12, 5-6 MAC) – the latest meeting on Jan. 25 giving NIU its only conference win of the season. The border rivals will face off at 1 p.m. CT Saturday at Worthen Arena in Muncie, Indiana. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+, with live statistics available on SIDEARM Sports.
