DeKALB – NIU men’s basketball (5-25, 1-16 MAC) dropped its 11th straight game, losing by a score of 71-58 to Bowling Green State University (14-16, 8-9 MAC).
This season has been a forgettable one for the Huskies, as they currently boast the worst record in the MAC, sitting three games behind the University at Buffalo, and have failed to win a game since Jan. 25.
“You have to get guys to understand that everything matters,” said NIU men’s basketball head coach Rashon Burno. “Weight room, classroom, locker room, you have to be really intentional with your approach to the game. I think what hurt us sometimes this year was our lack of basketball IQ in certain situations. We didn’t have the size this year due to injuries.”
Little has gone right for the Huskies as injuries have plagued the team, leading to only seven players healthy for the game Tuesday night, while Burno utilizing a six-man rotation for a majority of the game.
Senior guard James Dent Jr, sophomore guard Quentin Jones and redshirt freshman forward Tsvet Sotirov all played significant minutes in the game.
Dent and Jones both played more than 38 minutes during the game, with Dent only sitting for a total of 27 seconds for the entire game.
“There have been some games where we just ran out of gas,” Dent said. “If we had a couple extra bodies we probably would have come up with the win. The guys on the court just have to try and win.”
The Huskies were without junior guard Quaran McPherson, junior forward Ethan Butler and sophomore guard Nasir Muhammad in Tuesday’s loss.
McPherson and Butler have now missed five consecutive games.
McPherson has been a crushing loss for NIU as he served as the Huskies third leading scorer at 12.1 points per game.
“We haven’t had a full practice since early December,” Burno said. “You have to be mindful of depth, and injuries are a part of the game, but a big part of evaluating the program is injuries can’t keep a guy out for two weeks. Guys have been out, Ethan Butler has missed two months in the season, Joe (Munden) has missed two months.”
The Huskies started the game shooting 8/15 from three, with 27 of the team’s 31 first-half points coming on threes.
NIU finished the first half shooting 1/8 from three. 23 of the Huskies 30 first-half field goals came from beyond the arc.
The Huskies finished the game shooting 11/39 (28.2%) from three and 17/57 (29.8%) from the field. After NIU’s blistering start from three, they finished the game 3/24 from three.
“I thought even with the 8/15 start, I think we had 14 assists and we were stuck at 14 assists for a long time, the ball never moved, never got the team behind the ball,” Burno said. “So I think the one thing we have to get better at is beating guys off the bounds, like even Javontae Campbell, he lived in the paint. So, you live in the paint, guys converge and you can get better shots. James Dent and Quetin Jones haven’t been able to get easy shots all year.”
Bowling Green senior forward Marcus Johnson and Jones, two of the MAC’s leading scorers this season, went head to head Tuesday.
Jones, the MAC’s leading scorer, finished with 18 points on 4/13 shooting and 3/8 from the field. Jones also totaled 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
“He (Quentin Jones) was exactly who I thought he would be this year,” Burno said. “Our style of play makes it conducive for guys who can finish at the rim, guys who can make shots. But he’s been a consummate pro. I don’t think he’s missed a practice since June, and that’s a testament to his mindset and his work.”
Johnson, who sits at fifth in the MAC for scoring, finished with 17 points, 14 of which came in the first half, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
Dent also finished in double figures with 13 points on 4/12 shooting and 3/9 from three. Dent also grabbed 7 rebounds and 6 assists.
Sotirov finished with double-digit points, totaling 11 points on 4/12 from the field and 3/10 from beyond the arc.
Munden was the last Huskie to finish the game in double digits, his first such game since Jan. 7 against Kent State University. The Fairleigh Dickinson University transfer had 10 points on 3/11 shooting and 4/6 from the charity stripe.
“I just feel like I tell everybody how much that I truly love this game and to love this game is to do everything for it, even when you don’t see it through,” Munden said. “So, if we got five wins, that’s not going to determine how hard I play or what I give my teammates because they show up everyday too. So they deserve for me to put my best foot forward every day the same way I expect them to.”
The Huskies’ next – and last – game will be at 6 p.m. Friday against Central Michigan University in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Live stats will be available at SIDEARM Sports and the game will be live streamed on ESPN+.
