It was only about five minutes, but it felt like an eternity for NIU’s Anthony Maestranzi as he prepared to shoot the biggest free throws of his life.

With the Huskies down by two points and .2 seconds left in regulation, Maestranzi toed the line and swished both shots to send Wednesday’s game against Toledo into overtime.

“I was just trying to stay calm and not think about the shots,” Maestranzi said.

The play was set up when the 5-foot-10 point guard took the ball the length of the floor in six seconds and was fouled by Toledo’s Justin Ingram as he attempted a running layup.

After the ball hung on the rim for what NIU coach Rob Judson called an athletic eternity before rolling out, Maestranzi would then have to wait as the officials reviewed the play.

Two officials knelt while leaning on the scorer’s table to review the video monitor to find out exactly how much time should be put on the clock.

As Maestranzi waited to take his free throws, teammate Todd Peterson tried to keep him relaxed.

“I was just trying to keep him loose,” Peterson said, who would foul out with 2:52 left in overtime. “I had all the confidence in the world in him to make those free throws.”

Although Maestranzi had only dreamed of making a game-winning shot as a kid in front of his driveway and not game-tying free throws, he came through for the Huskies.

“I thought, ‘Great, we’re going to overtime,’” Judson said. “We had energy and momentum and the free throws brought the crowd up again. But that momentum can swing back and forth so quickly.”

And that was the case as Toledo closed out the game with a 9-2 run to snatch an 81-75 victory.