Coming off a teeth-clenching loss to Ohio on Saturday, the Huskies’ are officially in the home stretch of the season. With just a few more MAC competitions in store, NIU sits just two seeds away from making the MAC tournament.
By Tuesday, the Huskies were up to face another MAC foe in the Toledo Rockets (15-13,9-6 MAC), who showed they were a serious challenge for NIU as the Huskies ultimately fell 79-69.
Sophomore guard Gianni Cobb had promising words when comparing the Huskies to the Rockets.
“We wanted to come out and play hard like we always do,” Cobb said. “We can compete with any team in the MAC.”
The Rockets started the game shooting 8-for-9 from the field in the first five minutes. Despite efficient offense from Toledo, the Huskies (9-18,4-11 MAC) showed life with a 6-0 run in the next two minutes.
The Huskies managed to take a narrow lead before the break, led by Cobb’s 11 points and gritty defense with one steal and multiple deflections.
“Speed is Gianni’s friend and enemy,” head coach Rashon Burno said. “It’s a progression with him, he’s a sophomore that thrusted into the starting role, and he’s only going to get better. He’s gotten better, and he’s starting to understand how to impact the game on both sides.”
Crucial scoring stretches from the likes of freshman big Gustav Winther and freshman guard Taj Walters kept the Huskies in the game, with NIU down 36-31 when the first buzzer sounded.
Statistically, the teams were evenly matched, each shooting 45% from the field. While the Huskies found themselves shooting evenly, turnovers were still a problem with six in the first half.
After the first seven minutes of the second half, the Huskies found themselves down 11. Junior forward Hassan Washington slammed two dunks, but the Rockets maintained their lead.
Cobb and Washington combined for 34 points, with Washington shooting 100% from the field for a career-high 17 points.
“Around the basket, he (Washington) showed that he was athletic enough around the rim versus a lot of contact,” Burno said.
While the Rockets managed to officially clinch a ticket to the MAC tournament, the Huskies’ chances of making a tournament appearance grow slim.
“The first four minutes showed our inability to make shots from the three tonight,” Burno said. “It was the first four minutes that got us behind the most, and our start was the game breaker for us. It just was a couple of missed opportunities.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies return home at 3 p.m. Saturday, facing the Ball State University Cardinals at the Convocation Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and live stats will be updated on SIDEARM Sports.
“I’m feeling good about the rest of the season,” Washington said. “We got a lot of guys who won’t quit, and we can play against anybody”
