Nothing has come easy for the NIU men’s basketball team on the road this season. Sunday was no exception.

The Huskies created a late surge in the contest. However, it wasn’t enough to snap NIU’s 10-game road losing streak, as it fell 63-59 on the road to Bowling Green.

NIU (5-13 overall, 2-4 MAC) waited until the 7:55 mark in the second half to take its first lead over Bowling Green (9-9, 4-2) on a jumper by guard Michael Patton. After a missed free-throw by the Falcons with 19 seconds left, NIU had a chance to tie it or win it in regulation, but committed a crucial turnover which sealed the game for Bowling Green.

Falcon forward Nate Miller was the beneficiary of the turnover and added an exclamation dunk to give him a team-high 17 points.

“We had our chances,” NIU coach Ricardo Patton said. “There are a lot of teams that struggle on the road. It’s always a goal for every team to win on the road.”

One of the biggest problems down the stretch for the Huskies was fouls-or lack thereof. Bowling Green committed three fouls in the final 15 seconds. This brougth the Falcons to a final total of four for the half, keeping NIU off the foul line. For the game, the Huskies shot just two freethrows.

“I’ve never been part of a game where the other team had seven fouls to give at the end of the second half,” Patton said. “That was the difference in the game.”

Another key to the game was bench scoring. The Huskies’ reserves scored just six points, but they came during the time when NIU took the lead. According to

Patton, while the bench may not be strong offensively, they provide some solid defense.

“When we brought them in it got us back in the game,” Patton said. “That team is better on the defensive end.”

The NIU starters, in particular, freshman Jake Anderson provided much of the Huskies offense. The guard scored a game-high 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds.

As a team, NIU out-rebounded the Falcons 44-33. Perhaps Anderson’s most important stat however, was his zero turnovers.

“He came out of high school with a scoring mentality,” Patton said. “He has to learn to do other things, but he is making improvements.”

Center Egan Grafel was the only other Huskie in double-digit scoring, going for 11 points.