Before NIU even took the floor on Friday night, it was already one of the nation’s hottest 3-point shooting teams.
The Huskies were ranked 17th in the country in 3-point percentage, shooting 41.7% from beyond the arc. They just continued that success in their upset of Loyola Chicago, draining 14 triples in a 76-59 victory — their (3-3) first win in Rogers Park since 1995, back when the Ramblers (1-5) still played in Alumni Gym.
Freshman Dylan Ducommun delivered a major impact in only his second collegiate game, posting game-highs of 24 points and six assists. The Swiss sharpshooter knocked down six attempts from downtown to become the first Huskie this season to surpass five 3-pointers in a single game.
Transfer guards Makhai Valentine and Jao Ituka also finished in double figures, with Valentine matching his season-high 17 points and Ituka adding 10 points off the bench. Freshman Taj Walters nearly notched his first career double-double, recording nine points and 10 rebounds.
“All of these guys, from top to bottom, prepared us in the right way,” head coach Rashon Burno said in a postgame radio interview. “They came in understanding that we’ve got to fight, and we’ve got to play with pride, and we’ve got to execute. I thought this team did that for 40 minutes.”
Ducommon accounted for 15 of NIU’s first 20 points of the night, starting with his first triple 22 seconds in. He added four more over the next 8:25, making him a perfect 5-for-5 from 3-point land to start the game and putting NIU up 20-16 with 11:13 left in the first half.
“I was just reading what the defense was giving me,” Ducommun said. “We knew that they were going to go under on some handles and stuff, so I was just getting myself ready to shoot.”
The Huskies pushed their first-half lead to as high as 11 points — leading 34-23 with 7:03 until halftime — before the Ramblers battled back to cut it to five at the break, 42-37. Docommun and Valentine led all scorers after the first 20 with 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Loyola opened the second half with a layup and two free throws to make it a 1-point game. NIU responded with a 22-4 burst, including four triples, to push its lead to 19, 64-45, with 9:57 to go. The Huskies reached their largest lead of the night nearly four minutes later, when forward Hassan “Tre” Washington slammed a dunk to grant them a 20-point advantage at 72-52.
Ducommon tacked on a final jumper, and Walters added two shots from the charity stripe to close out the victory — NIU’s second straight against Loyola after a 55-49 win on Dec. 18, 2013. The Huskies reclaim the all-time series lead, 18-17, while Ramblers continue to stumble with their fifth consecutive defeat.
NIU finished shooting 42.2% (27-64) from the field, 41.2% (14-34) from deep and 80% (8-10) on free throws. The Huskies also controlled the boards, outrebounding Loyola 39-27, including 17 offensive rebounds.
Burno knows the meaning of a win against a program like Loyola, but he knows the Huskies can’t let it get to their heads as they prepare to wrap a three-game road spell with a trip down south to face Austin Peay (3-3) on Tuesday.
“This is a good momentum builder, confidence builder,” Burno said. “We’re all working on the right things. Now, we just can’t get too high. We’ve got to take it for what it is, and now we’ve got to start back over on Saturday.”
