What happened

The No. 10 seed men’s basketball (13-15, 8-10 MAC) ended its season with a first round loss to the No. 7 seed Akron Zips (18-13, 9-9 MAC), 76-52, Monday in Akron, Ohio. The loss snapped a four-game win streak, which was the Huskies’ largest of the season.

How it happened

The Zips opened the game with a 9-0 run and never looked back. The Huskies just weren’t able to match Akron’s shooting, as the Zips would end the half with a 60 percent shooting mark.

With NIU already down 10, the Zips went on a 17-0 run that was eventually broken when junior Darrell Bowie ended NIU’s cold spell. The Zips took advantage of nearly every NIU turnover in the first half, scoring 21 points off turnovers.

The Huskies were able to finally get their offense going in the final nine minutes of the half, making six of their final 11 attempts from the field. But, Akron’s hot shooting left NIU’s comeback attempt in the dust. 

The Huskies did manage to cut the lead to 20, courtesy of eight straight points in the opening minutes of the second half. That was the closest NIU had gotten since the 10:29 mark in the first half. But the Zips responded by making four 3-pointers in their next six attempts from the field. The Huskies would never get any closer, despite outscoring the Zips, 32-28, in the second half. 

Redshirt senior Anthony Johnson scored 10 points, while junior Travon Baker scored seven points and had four assists. Redshirt freshman Marin Maric scored six points and scooped up four rebounds.

The number: six

That is the number of assists the Huskies had, after totaling 60 in their last four games. Akron had 14 assists.

Northern Star players of the game

Sophomore Aaric Armstead put up a team-high 12 points and was a bright spot on the boards for the Huskies, racking up six rebounds, which tied for the game-high. He was responsible for five points during the Huskies’ 8-0 run that opened the second half.

Akron junior Deji Ibitayo put up a game-high 18 points and only missed one shot all game. Ibitayo also had three assists and a pair of rebounds.

The quotes

“You have to give Akron credit; they came out hot,” head coach Mark Montgomery said. “But, I was disappointed; we were playing our best basketball of the year, and we didn’t get a chance to show it. We got impatient when we got down, and that was disappointing because this team has put together so many strong games in a row.”