And then it was down to one.

With one more win the NIU men’s basketball team can clinch its second MAC West title in school history.

A 78-73 victory at Ball State, combined with a Western Michigan loss to Toledo, has put NIU in position to win the MAC West outright. The last time the feat was accomplished was in 1982.

The win against Ball State though was not a simple task for the Huskies, who were without the services of guard Ben Rand and center James Hughes.

NIU was down to a nine-person roster because Rand is out with a season-ending injury and Hughes did not travel with the team to Muncie.

“James still has reoccurring concussion symptoms,” coach Rob Judson said.

Sports Information Director Matt Brendich confirmed Hughes’ absence.

“He had a reoccurrence of mild concussion-like symptoms,” Brendich said.

NIU (16-10 Overall, 11-6 MAC) was led offensively by forward Todd Peterson and guard Zach Pancratz. The two scored 21 and 18 points respectively. They each owe part of their success to their ability to make trips to the charity strip as they were a combined 13-14 from the free throw line.

NIU scored 70-plus points for the fourth game in a row. During this stretch the Huskies are 3-1 and have won the last three straight.

“Our philosophy of playing different guys has paid off now with the injuries of Ben Rand and James Hughes,” Judson said.

Ball State (9-17, 5-12) didn’t have any problems scoring either, going for 73 points. The Cardinals were led by forward D’Andre Peyton, who provided 21 points in the loss. Guard Skip Mills added another 19 points, 15 of which came in the second half.

“It was a hard-fought MAC road game,” Judson said. “It came down to several possessions in the last minute.”

With the victory, NIU approaches its last game of the season still in control of its own destiny.

A win over Western Michigan on Saturday would give the Huskies the No. 2 seed in the MAC tournament, plus a first round bye.

The philosophy all season has been focusing on one game at a time. Judson believes that this has been an important reason for the recent success of the team, and that the continuation of that philosophy will be key.

“We don’t change anything, we just stay focused on the moment,” Judson said. “That formula has done well for us at the end of the year.”