After suffering an injury to his cheek last weekend, it was questionable whether Perry Smith would start Saturday against host Bowling Green.

The 6-foot-4 senior guard did start and didn’t disappoint, leading NIU (9-8, 5-2 MAC) to it’s fifth win in a row.

Smith finished with a game-high 20 points, 15 in the second half, in helping the Huskies rout the Falcons 63-46.

The Huskies rebounded off a one-point defeat from Bowling Green (9-7, 5-3 MAC) on Jan. 4 at home. This time, they made certain the game didn’t come down to the last possession.

NIU won the rebounding advantage 38-21 and held Bowling Green (9-7, 5-3 MAC) to 36 percent shooting from the floor. Both of these statistics, in NIU coach Rob Judson’s opinion, were vital in order to come away victorious.

“Our defense really picked it up,” Judson said. “We did a good job of contesting shots. At the other end of the floor, we got some open looks and we got them to fall. Last time we played Bowling Green at home, we contested less than 50 percent of their shots. Today, we made a concerted effort to challenge every shot.”

The game began in favor of BGSU, as the hosts held an early 18-13 lead. NIU, however, ended the half on a 16-3 run that was capped off by two free-throws by senior Jay Bates (11 points).

The crowd of 2,882 wouldn’t see its team get any closer in the second half as the Huskies built up the already comfortable eight-point halftime lead to 18 points after a three-pointer by freshman Anthony Maestranzi and a pair of free throws by Smith. The Huskies connected on 22-of-26 attempts from the foul line.

NIU forward Marcus Smallwood had yet another double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. He has a double-double in every game of the winning streak.

“There’s a lot of work and games ahead of us,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “Our kids have worked hard. It’s coming together now. I’m just real happy for all our kids and see them rewarded for all their hard work.”