It was just a moment. Sixty-seconds of silence before the NIU men’s basketball game against Western Michigan on Tuesday night.

A moment in which both teams joined hands forming a circle at half-court of the Convocation Center.

A moment which neither team seemed to want to end.

Even after the PA announcer broke the silence, it took a staff member to break the two teams apart.

“The emotions built up behind everything that has happened,” NIU guard Jarvis Nichols said. “It kind of left us in a daze of ‘what do we do next?’ We’ve never locked up like that at the Huskie head.”

That moment was a culmination of all the emotions that everyone in the NIU community has gone through in these last two weeks.

It also marked the Huskies’ return to the basketball court. Aside from the moment of silence, there was also a difference in the attitudes of the two teams before tip-off.

“I have to say everyone was nice to each other,” Nichols said. “The Western team was very uplifting. I’ve never seen two teams that were competing against each other give that kind of greeting before a game. Everyone was shaking hand and hugging. It was definitely comforting.”

While NIU lost 56-49, the outcome of the game seemed insignificant compared to the game itself.

Despite the modest attendance at the Convocation Center, the atmosphere was louder than what has been typical for NIU.

“I think it was big,” Nichols said. “We’ll never know how big it was. For the individuals that suffered losses, and for the students who felt uncomfortable, this was probably huge for them.”

After the game, WMU coach Steve Hawkins was quick to point out how little the outcome meant.

“OK, we won the game,” he said. “Who cares? I’m happy that we could help NIU return to some sort of normalcy.”

While normalcy will still take some time for NIU, it’s moments like those that took place at the Convocation Center Tuesday that will help NIU take steps in the right direction.

As a family, with moments like these restoring our sense of community and normalcy, NIU will move on. After all, as proudly captured on this year’s men’s basketball schedule posters, “We Are Family.”