DeKALB | Up and under, gliding through the air with grace, freshman point guard Cody Yelder announced to the Convocation Center Saturday that he is a force to be reckoned with.

With lightning-fast efficiency and a break-neck crossover, the Richards High School product went on a personal 6-0 run that gave NIU an early first half lead.

The highlight was the last of three consecutive assaults on the rim.

Phillip Williams, 6-foot-8, and 6-foot-10 Craig Bradshaw stood in the lane; a pair of oak trees planted to deter the NIU offense.

The 6-foot-1 Yelder dashed, darted and slid past a defender. Then, with reckless abandon, leapt right into the sprawling branch-like arms of Winthrop’s senior big men.

With soft-spoken confidence, Yelder said he was just trying to get the offense into high gear.

“At the start, we were doing some standing around on offense,” Yelder said. “The guys and the coaches boost my confidence, they said, ‘Go on and attack the rim’.”

The final line for Yelder was eleven points on 5-of-8 shooting in a starter-like 23 minutes off the bench.

And a bright future.