Double D, as in Defense and Donnell Thomas, was the major factor in Tuesday night’s 65-56 victory over Nebraska by the Huskies.

“Defense is what won this game for us,” said Huskie head coach Jim Molinari. “Our motto is to go to war on every possesion, offensively and defensively.” Nebraska came into the contest averaging 90 points per game, including 104 and 117 points in its previous two outings.

The stingy NIU defense held Nebraska to 56 points on 24 of 58 shooting (.414) and, despite a decided height disadvantage, out-rebounded the Cornhuskers 40-32.

Fifteen of the 40 rebounds were pulled down by Thomas. The 6-foot-4 “D-Train”, playing against a starting frontline for Nebraska that was 6-7, 6-9 and 7-2, helped NIU control the boards and preserve the victory down the stretch.

“The only thing I remember is Donnell getting every rebound,” said Molinari. “What Donnell did is tremendous. He takes up a lot of room and when he gets his hands on the ball, that’s it.”

Thomas also tied as the game’s high-scorer with 18 points, including 14 in the first half.

Thomas pointed to the contribution of his teammates when asked about his rebounding performance. “Going into a game, I just try to keep my man off the boards, and if the other guys keep their man off the boards, I go for the rebounds.

“We’re not tall, but we’re quick,” said the junior from Chicago. “They were big, but we have to use our quickness. We did that tonight.”

Huskie point guard Donald Whiteside, who scored 18 points to tie Thomas for game-high, played 40 minutes and helped run the stubborn NIU defense.

“We thought that if we controlled the tempo we would come out on top. Coach Molinari is a disciplinarian about defense. If you don’t play “D”, you don’t play,” said Whiteside.