On the strength of 26 points from senior guard Xavier Silas, the NIU men’s basketball team rolled Coe College 82-65 in its only exhibition game Saturday.

The Kohawks played NIU tight in the first half, sinking six of 12 three pointers and even taking a 34-33 lead with 1:53 remaining in the frame. It took a second half surge from the Huskies to put the game away.

Before the Coe College shots began to fall in the first half, the Huskies jumped out to an early 9-0 lead with a group of players working well together. NIU head coach Ricardo Patton decided, however, to make his first round of substitutions sooner rather than later.

“We jumped out and then I started subbing, and coaches will tell you that you can get in your own way subbing too early,” Patton said. “But it’s better off to see those combos not work early than losing the game late with them.”

In the second half, the Kohawks were unable to keep up with the NIU attack. The Huskies shot 51.7 percent from the field and converted 12 of their 13 free throw attempts.

While Patton liked the second half production, the fourth year head coach liked the hustle even more.

“To have guys diving after loose balls in the second half of an exhibition game is great,” Patton said. “Our guards defensive intensity overall was great.”

Getting his first taste of game action on the college level, freshman Nate Rucker showed why Patton has high hopes for him; dropping 13 points on 5-8 shooting. Coming off a leg injury suffered in high school, Rucker is still building up to full strength.

“It’s about a good 80 percent right now, but I should be at 100 by midseason,” Rucker said. “They’re really expecting me to come into the MAC and be a force and that’s what I expect to be when I get to full strength.”

Also getting their first taste of NIU basketball were junior college transfers Tim Toler and Cameron Madlock.

Neither made much of an impact on the score sheet, but Patton still liked what he saw from the two newcomers.

“In [Toler’s] defense, he wasn’t really feeling well today, but I still think he played OK,” Patton said. “And Cameron Madlock did some good things out there today, too.”

With Friday’s regular season opener against Northwestern looming, Patton and company have little time left to prepare for the Wildcats.

“Right now, I think we’re as ready as we can possibly be with only 18 practices under our belt,” Patton said. “However, we do have the next few days to look at some film and make some decisions.”