DeKALB | Just a week ago, the NIU men’s basketball team won in overtime against Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Huskies returned to the floor, this time at home, to again beat the Dukes 85-74.

NIU (3-0) began the night in a constant seesaw battle as five ties and seven lead changes occurred in the first ten minutes.

But Duquesne (2-3) wouldn’t regain the lead after the 10th minute of the contest, as NIU began to pull away.

It was only Monday when the Huskies had to go into overtime to defeat the Dukes. NIU head coach Rob Judson believed an 11-point victory margin on Saturday proved the power of the home court.

“We really had a heck of a game with Duquesne Monday night,” Judson said. “It was two teams really going at each other. [Saturday] we were able to push the lead out there in the second half. The home court is really that big in college basketball.”

NIU center James Hughes exploded with his first double-double of the season to help push the lead in the second half. The senior went 8-11 from the field for 22 points and 10 rebounds. Five of those boards came on the offensive side of the court.

Fellow senior Mike McKinney also helped lead the Huskies to victory. The guard chipped in 10 points, five boards and two steals on the day.

“When you got seniors like McKinney and Hughes, they just make big plays,” Duquesne coach Ron Everhart said. “There was just several plays in the game when we had an opportunity to get back in it where one of those two guys just didn’t allow us to get there.”

But the seniors were not the only players to propel NIU to its third victory in three games. NIU forward Zach Pancratz was second on the team with 16 points and transfer Shaun Logan added 13 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the victory.