DeKALB – First-year guard Trendon Hankerson dished an assist to junior forward Noah McCarty for the go-ahead lay-up to give the men’s basketball team a 77-75 victory over No. 14 Bulls Tuesday in the Convocation Center, NIU’s first win versus a ranked opponent since Feb. 3, 1973 when it took down No. 19 Oral Roberts.

With junior guard Eugene German fouled out and Buffalo’s defense giving senior guard Dante Thorpe significant attention after scoring a game-high 23 points, the Huskies needed another player to create a scoring opportunity to pick up the win.

Hankerson answered the call in front of a home season-high attendance of 1,284 people, causing fans to prematurely storm the court with 0.6 seconds still left on the clock and Buffalo inbounding the ball.

Buffalo sophomore guard Jayvon Graves turned the ball over after throwing it across halfcourt, giving the Huskies the victory.

“It’s a good feeling,” McCarty said. “Any time you get to play a ranked opponent, it means a lot. To have that opportunity and to be able to come out on top, it’s a great feeling.”

Buffalo senior guard CJ Massinburg hit a 3-pointer with 6.4 seconds left in the contest to tie the game at 75 after Hankerson turned the ball over with NIU up 75-72.

Head Coach Mark Montgomery said the Huskies were trying to get the ball to Thorpe on the ensuing inbounds play, but the Bulls overplayed Thorpe, giving Hankerson the opportunity to set-up McCarty for an uncontested lay-up.

{{tncms-inline account=”#MACtion” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">NOAH MCCARTY GAME WINNER!!!!<a href="https://twitter.com/GoHuskiesMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoHuskiesMBB</a> upsets #14 Buffalo in DeKalb!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MACtion?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MACtion</a> <a href="https://t.co/hx3WeajxDd">pic.twitter.com/hx3WeajxDd</a></p>— #MACtion (@MACSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/MACSports/status/1087911312196358144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2019</a></blockquote>” id=”https://twitter.com/MACSports/status/1087911312196358144″ type=”twitter”}}

“As I came off the screen, I knew I had a guy on me,” Hankerson said. “I saw [first year forward Nick] Perkins shacking the screen, going under a little bit. I knew if I turned around and ripped it, Noah [McCarty] would be wide open.”

NIU struggled with foul trouble early, tallying 10 fouls on nine players through the first nine minutes of play. The Bulls’ 8-0 free-throw advantage through the first 9:03 of game play helped Buffalo take its biggest lead early at 18-10.

After not attempting a free-throw for nearly 10 minutes, the Huskies made four in less than a minute-and-a-half, reducing their deficit to 21-16 after a Thorpe free-throw.

Thorpe carried the scoring load for NIU in the first with German in foul trouble and only playing nine minutes.

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Thorpe scored 13 points on 3-4 shooting from the field and 6 of 8 from the free-throw line in the half. His contributions helped NIU go on a 25-11 run over the last 9:23 of the half and take a 38-32 lead going into the game’s midway break.

“Our leading scorer was out because he was in foul trouble, so I just felt like I had to step up and fill his role,” Thorpe said.

The Huskies’ lead climbed to 10 after a McCarty layup with 15:58 left in the second half made the score 48-38. Buffalo chipped away at NIU’s lead, tying the game at 52 before taking a 56-52 lead with 10:28 left in the game.

German scored 15 of his 20 points in the final nine minutes before fouling out with 48 seconds left. He recorded his first career double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds.

“I kept telling myself, ‘Don’t let this one go,’” German said. “‘I don’t want this game to go. Don’t let this out of our hands.’ I just picked it up and started playing more aggressive.”

The Bulls erased a six-point deficit with 48 seconds left before McCarty made the go-ahead shot. The Huskies shot 50 percent from the field and 19-24 on free throws.

NIU held Buffalo, a 47 percent shooting team for the season, to a near season-low 22-60 from the field.

“We missed a lot of at-the-rim shots,” Buffalo Head Coach Nate Oats said. “They did a pretty good job staying vertical at the rim. McCarty led the team with plus 12. He did a good job of being a rim protector. Our guys drive in there; he’s being vertical, and our guys are missing shots.”

After a last-second win against a ranked opponent, the Huskies, with an 11-8 overall and 4-2 Mid-American Conference record, look to carry momentum into their match against the Akron Zips 4 p.m. Saturday in Akron, Ohio.

NIU will now face the Ohio University Bobcats in a rematch of its Jan. 5 72-66 overtime victory in Athens, Ohio.

“I just thought the energy in the building was probably the best it’s been in a long time,” Montgomery said. “It helps you through possessions; it helps you overcome a run, and maybe it helps us get a few calls on a few whistles because I know that happens to us on the road. I would love to get everyone back out on Tuesday for when we have a three-game stretch, because this can be a special team.”