Al Sewasciuk might be getting back into his groove.

After scoring 21 points against Wisconsin at the end of November, an NIU freshman scoring record, Sewasciuk went on a downward spiral, scoring less than 10 points in the 10 games prior to the Toledo victory Saturday.

In the 69-67 victory against the Rockets, the freshman guard scored 14 points, going 5-of-7 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from the 3-point line.

NIU interim coach Andy Greer talked with Sewasciuk, explaining how he wanted him to continue to shoot the ball and that he’d be pulled if he didn’t.

“Al made some big, big shots for us,” Greer said. “The one thing that I like about Al is that he has a lot of confidence. He has been struggling as of late. The last game he shot 1-of-9. I talked to Al after the game, and I told him that if you don’t take shots, I am going to take you out. His confidence in himself showed in the second half.”

Sewasciuk sees his game rising to the level it once was at the beginning of the season when he was averaging double-digits in points.

“Coach kept telling me after practice to keep shooting the ball,” Sewasciuk said. “Sometimes coach would bring me into the office and show me a tape of games where I would mess up the chance at some shots, and he told me that I should be taking those shots. It is disappointing when I don’t have the confidence to take those shots.”

If Sewasciuk continues to shoot the ball like Greer wants, the Huskies might be able to turn around their misfortunes on the road. Since joining the Mid-American Conference, NIU has gone 3-26 on the road.

NIU looks to turn things around against Ohio tonight, but to do so, the Huskies have to continue playing good defense. Ohio is the fourth-best team in the MAC East Division with a 4-2 conference record and a 9-6 overall record.

“This is a team that has a lot of confidence in themselves,” Greer said.