In its three home losses this season, the NIU men’s basketball team has lost by a total of seven points.

But against Central Michigan, the Huskies made sure they wouldn’t have to worry about a close finish.

Behind 16 points from junior guard Anthony Maestranzi, NIU won 65-46 Wednesday at the Convocation Center.

“Man it was nice coming down the stretch and not having to keep looking up at the score board,” NIU’s James Hughes said. “It takes a lot off of our shoulders.”

NIU coach Rob Judson emphasized to his team that they had to get off to a good start and keep it-something the Huskies didn’t do the last time both teams met Jan. 15.

And after going up 10-0 to start the game, the Huskies just had to worry about their defense holding up.

NIU responded by holding CMU to 29.3 percent shooting and allowing its lowest point total at the Convocation Center since it opened in 2002.

Despite his team’s defense, one of the other things that surprised Judson was the fact that CMU had its leading scorer back.

Kevin Nelson, who missed the last three games for a suspension for violating NCAA rules, came off the bench for 22 points. He had 27 points in the team’s first meeting.

“He probably likes seeing NIU,” Judson said. “We know he’s a good player, but you just can’t leave him open for a second or he’s going to score.”

Other than Nelson, no other CMU player had more than eight points, and all five starters had nine points combined.

“We really made it our focus to play good defense,” Maestranzi said. “Against Kent State, we felt it was our defense that let us down and we didn’t want that to happen again.”

The Huskies didn’t just do it on the defensive end.

NIU shot 48.9 percent from the floor and had four players in double figures with Maestranzi, Todd Peterson (13 points), Mike McKinney (12 points) and James Hughes (11 points).

The 6-foot-11-inch Hughes also added five rebounds and three blocks coming off the bench compared to his usual starting role.

“I like coming off the bench,” Hughes said. “Coach told me right before the game that [Johnathan] Byrd was going to start. I didn’t mind though because I think I can provide the team with a spark.”

Before a crowd of 1,093, NIU extended its home win streak to four and pushed CMU’s losing streak to seven.

“I’ve started calling it the friendly confines of the Convo,” Hughes said.