DeKALB — After a competitive loss against Toledo on Tuesday, the Huskies returned home for their annual Cram the Convo game. In a 79-43 NIU defeat, the Ball State University Cardinals (10-19 5-11 MAC) controlled the outcome in a dominant manner, despite the packed Convocation Center.
“We had the right intentions,” head coach Rashon Burno said. “We just couldn’t execute anything.”
After nearly two minutes, Huskie freshman big Gustav Winther kicked things off with a dunk for the first bucket of the game.
Despite striking first, the Huskies (9-19 4-12 MAC) struggled in the beginning of the first half. Throughout the first ten minutes of play, NIU was held to just 9 points.
By the time the buzzer for the first half went off, freshman guard Taj Walters and junior guard Daemar Kelly worked to bring the offense to life, both totaling seven points while going 50% and 100% from the field, respectively.
“We’re a hungry team, but a small team, so when we go on that run, we have to keep it,” Walters said. “Sometimes when you see the ball go in, it’s contagious.”
Despite the slow start, the Huskies entered the half with a seven-point deficit.
The Cardinals then went on a 29-2 run in the first ten minutes of the second half, bringing the score to 57-31.
Unable to gain back any momentum, the Huskies took their lowest scoring loss of the season in a dominant one-sided outcome.
Kelly led the Huskies with 9 points, closely followed by Walters with eight.
“It was an extremely disappointing performance by the Huskies,” Burno said. “We weren’t ready to play, we lacked discipline and toughness. It was an embarrassment from start to finish. We were pretty beat up about our performance.”
UP NEXT
The Huskies will face off against the Kent State Golden Flashes at 7 p.m. Tuesday for their last home game of the season. Live stats will be updated on SIDEARM Sports.
“We got a dejected locker room,” Burno said. “We need to get them back focused on the things we can control, and win tomorrow.
