The Huskies (1-2) endured a long night on the road, falling 88-59 to the Grand Canyon Antelopes (2-1) on Monday.
The Huskies only held the lead for a single minute in the first half, before the Antelopes took off running and never looked back.
“We didn’t take advantage of what we have in the strength department,” head coach Rashon Burno said. “I thought we had a couple situations where the ball should have moved quickly into the middle of the floor.”
Junior guard Daemar Kelly led the effort for the Huskies with 12 points, going 3-11 from the field and 5-5 from the free throw line. Junior forward Hassan “Tre” Washington was the only other player to record double digit points, totaling 10 points off the bench.
NIU had a grim night shooting the ball, going 17/49 (34.7%) from the field and 8/19 (42.1%) from deep. GCU shot just under 50% on the night, going 30/61.
Burno said the team struggled to respond to GCU’s physicality.
“It was a combination of both (physicality and mentality). Honestly, I thought like those guys, laying on your sides and weight advantage, I think that wears you down. It gets into your legs,” he said.
NIU trailed 43-29 at halftime after making just eight field goals in the opening half. The Antelopes continued to pull away in the second half, out-scoring the Huskies 45-30.
Despite the loss, Burno encouraged the team to look forward as part of their early-season growth.
“Well, you give them perspective, right? This is one game of a long season,” Burno said. “This is going to be similar to what we’ll face at Akron — It’s all preparation for MAC play.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies take on the Benedictine University Eagles at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be provided on SIDEARM Sports.
