DeKALB | If only an NCAA basketball game were 41 minutes.

Instead, it is two 20-minute halves, and on Wednesday at the Convocation Center the NIU men’s basketball team just ran out of time.

The Huskies lost 57-55 to Ball State in a game where defensive play dominated the second half.

“If we had another minute or two we could have pulled that game out,” NIU men’s coach Rob Judson said.

NIU allowed BSU to score 40 first half points. But in the second half, the Huskies tightened the screws and allowed only 17 points.

“At halftime we challenged our team,” Judson said. “We wanted to have the same defensive intensity we had against Ohio and Bowling Green.”

NIU scored 24 second-half points, and frantically attacked the offensive glass in search of a tie in the closing seconds, but to no avail.

BSU (9-16, 5-7) held NIU’s (6-18, 3-9) leading scorer Mike McKinney to four points, nine points below the senior guard’s season average.

“We tried to give him a bunch of different looks,” BSU coach Ronny Thompson said in reference to the Evanston native. “We wanted to wear him down he’s a dangerous guy because he can score from everywhere. We switched guys on him a lot because he is so strong, he’s just a load.”

Thompson said the extra attention gave NIU open perimeter looks.

Sophomore forward Quintan Lipkins took advantage, connecting on three of four three point attempts, and scoring a game high 11 points.

NIU shaved a nine point halftime deficit to 53-50 with 6:17 left in the second half, courtesy of a 8-0 scoring spurt.

BSU could not close the door at the free-throw line in the closing seconds, and Yelder and senior guard Ryan Paradise both had runners that fell short. Numerous scrums ensued under the NIU basket, several tip in opportunities teased the net but spun out, and a three point attempt in the closing seconds from Pancratz fell short.