The NIU men’s basketball team wrapped up exhibition play Saturday afternoon with a 76-62 victory over Carthage College.

The Huskies coasted behind Darion ‘Jake’ Anderson’s double-double. The sophomore poured in a game-high 31 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 14-of-18 from the field.

Sophomore Sean Kowal scored in double figures as well, posting 14 points and pulling down eight boards.

“I think we’ve still got to make a lot of improvements, especially on the defensive end,” Anderson said. “But we’re going to take the victory no matter how it looks. This win gears us up for more challenges that we’re going to have this season.”

The Huskies led early in the first half, but the Red Men closed the gap as the half came to a close. Freshman Tyler Storm’s 3-pointer at the nine-minute mark took the Huskies to a 20-12 lead, capping a 10-2 run.

NIU led by as many as 14 in the contest, but went into the locker room at the half with a 37-31 lead.

NIU won the battle on the boards, out-rebounding the Red Men 43-29, but could not control the ball, committing 21 turnovers.

“This team is finding its way,” said NIU head coach Ricardo Patton. “We’re still trying with different combinations, so once guys have a better understanding of how much they’re going to play, I think they’ll settle in and become better.”

While Anderson and Kowal dominated the stats sheet, 13 Huskies saw action and each contributed to the victory.

Redshirt freshman Lee Fisher finished with eight points and seven rebounds in 26 minutes. Storm also helped out with six points and four rebounds.

Patton, however, said there are still areas in which the Huskies need to improve.

NIU shot 55 percent from the field to CC’s 33 percent, but the Red Men won the free throw battle, shooting 94 percent compared to NIU’s 52 percent behind the line.

“You’re not going to win many games shooting 50-something percent from the free throw line, and we certainly have to get better in that area,” Patton said. “We have to do a better job of getting the right guys to the line.”