It was just a matter of time before Randy Norman got hot.

The 6-foot-3 off guard has been scorching the net over his last six games, averaging 20 points per contest over that stretch. He has been especially dangerous behind the three-point line, and even though NIU has lost all six of the games, Norman has been a big reason why the Huskies stayed close in most of them.

“We already knew Randy was a shooter,” said NIU forward Donnell Thomas. “It was just a matter of him getting his confidence. But now his confidence is up and I don’t think anybody can stop him. He shoots the three-pointer like it’s a free throw.”

Rodney Davis had been the Huskies’ main scoring threat the entire season, but Norman’s recent success has lessened the offensive load Davis has had to carry.

“I was telling Randy, ‘You’ve got to do what Jerry Williams did last year,'” Davis said. “I said, ‘You’ve got to open things up and make them play you like they play on me.’ When we do that, it opens up a lot for everybody else.

“He’s coming around. He’s playing well the last five or six games and that’s what we need out of Randy.”

“Right now, I’ve been getting into the rhythm of my shot,” Norman said. “I just about know what’s a good shot and a bad shot.”