Coach Jim Molinari and his Huskies did something different Thursday night in their game against Valparaiso—they won on the road.

NIU, behind Donald Whiteside’s game-high 20 points, beat the Crusaders 68-59 to win its first road game of the season after six straight defeats. The victory pushed the Huskies record to 8-7. Valparaiso, which had won three of its last five outings, dropped to 3-11.

“Whiteside hit some key jumpers,” said Molinari. “(But) everyone played a part. It was a good win on the road and it propels us to 8-7. We have to take the games one at a time, but now we get to go home, and we play well at home.”

Vaplaraiso jumped on the Huskies for an early 21-15 lead before Whiteside’s 10-foot jumper with 4:23 left knotted the game at 21. Donnell “D-Train” Thomas gave the Huskies the lead for good with his three-point play that closed the first half with NIU leading 28-25.

Valparaiso came into the contest ranked 15th nationally in free-throw shooting, but the Crusaders went to the charity stripe only four times in the half. Coach Homer Drew’s squad was also ranked 15th in three-point shooting, but were held to only four tres in the game.

The Huskies dominated the second half and led by as many as 14. Valparaiso made a late run to cut the lead to 56-51 before Whiteside responded with two baskets to give the Huskies some breathing room. Andrew Wells scored 10 of his 16 points in the half to help seal the victory.

Molinari gave credit to the six-foot-seven junior for helping keep NIU on top in the closing 20 minutes. “I’ve been hard on Andrew Wells, but he rose to the occasion and did the job.”

The 16-point effort from Wells was his highest output of the season. Thomas chipped in with 18 points for the Huskies and Stacy Arrington added 10.

The road victory was NIU’s first since the end of the 1988-89 season when the Huskies defeated Chicago State 68-63.