DEKALB, Ill. -- Senior Travon Baker scored a career-high 25 points, including 13 in the final three minutes, as the Northern Illinois Huskies defeated Ohio, 80-69, on Wednesday night in the Mid-American Conference opener at the NIU Convocation Center.
Sophomore Marin Maric tied a career-high with 22 points and 14 rebounds as he posted his fifth double-double of the season in a contest that featured 10 ties and 18 lead changes.
The win improved . . .
Sophomore Marin Maric tied a career-high with 22 points and 14 rebounds as he posted his fifth double-double of the season in a contest that featured 10 ties and 18 lead changes.
The win improved . . .
. . . the Huskies to 12-2 on the season and gave NIU its 12th consecutive home win dating back to last season, setting a new school record. Ohio dropped to 9-4, 0-1 MAC.
Junior Aaric Armstead scored 14 points and added nine rebounds while freshman Laytwan Porter set a new career-high with 13 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds.
“It was a typical MAC game,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “Tough defense, efficient offense. Ohio is a very well-coached team; you just have to find a way to get multiple stops, score some baskets and survive. I thought our freshmen really got a feel for what it is like to play in a conference game.
“I thought both teams were locked in from beginning to end. We were efficient at the free-throw line and shooting threes, we had more assists than turnovers; our guys were very focused, and that is why we came away with the win.”
A triple by Treg Setty gave Ohio a one-point lead, 53-52, just before the midway point of the second half, but Armstead answered with the next three to push the Huskies back in front, 55-53.
After Ohio split a pair of free throws, Maric scored the next six to push the NIU lead to seven, 61-54, with just over six minutes to play.
The Bobcats climbed back within six, 65-60, with 3:53 left before Baker took over, scoring NIU’s next 13 points. The senior from Detroit knocked down a triple with just over two minutes left to push the lead to eight and, after an old-fashioned three-point play from the Bobcats, scored the next six in the game to give NIU a 74-63 lead in the final minute, propelling the Huskies to the win.
NIU held Ohio to just 27.6 percent (8-of-29) shooting from the field in the second half; the Huskies shot 45.5 percent (10-of-22) after the break, and also went 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line.
Jaaron Simmons scored 19 points to lead the way for Ohio; Kenny Kaminski and Treg Setty each added 15 for the Bobcats.
Ohio led by one in the early going until a triple from Armstead gave the Huskies a two-point advantage, 13-11. With NIU leading by one, Armstead split a pair of free throws and made a layup to give the Huskies a four-point lead, 19-15, with 11:45 to play in the first half
Armstead scored nine of his 14 points in the first eight minutes of the contest to fuel the Huskies early.
The Bobcats responded with a 9-0 run to take a 24-19 lead just past the midway point of the opening half. Baker ended the Ohio run with a triple to cut the Bobcat lead to just a pair, 24-22.
NIU and Ohio traded the lead over the final eight minutes of the first half. A pair of free throws from Porter pushed the Huskies in front, 36-35, with 1:35 left before the intermission and Maric split a pair at the line in the final minute to give the Huskies a 37-35 lead at the break.
Armstead and Maric each scored 11 to pace the Huskies in the opening 20 minutes; NIU shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range.
Ohio scored eight of the first 10 out of the intermission to take a four-point lead, 43-39. NIU answered on a layup by Porter off an offensive rebound and a triple from Baker to swing the lead back to the Huskies, 44-43, with 15:21 remaining.
The two teams traded leads until just past the midway point of the second half when Armstead’s three-straight points put the Huskies in front for good as NIU outscored Ohio, 28-16 in the final 10 minutes.
NEXT: Northern Illinois hosts Eastern Michigan (Approx. 5 p.m., ET, second half of double header). Ohio is at home against Ball State (2 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of NIU Athletics)
Junior Aaric Armstead scored 14 points and added nine rebounds while freshman Laytwan Porter set a new career-high with 13 points and grabbed a career-best eight rebounds.
“It was a typical MAC game,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “Tough defense, efficient offense. Ohio is a very well-coached team; you just have to find a way to get multiple stops, score some baskets and survive. I thought our freshmen really got a feel for what it is like to play in a conference game.
“I thought both teams were locked in from beginning to end. We were efficient at the free-throw line and shooting threes, we had more assists than turnovers; our guys were very focused, and that is why we came away with the win.”
A triple by Treg Setty gave Ohio a one-point lead, 53-52, just before the midway point of the second half, but Armstead answered with the next three to push the Huskies back in front, 55-53.
After Ohio split a pair of free throws, Maric scored the next six to push the NIU lead to seven, 61-54, with just over six minutes to play.
The Bobcats climbed back within six, 65-60, with 3:53 left before Baker took over, scoring NIU’s next 13 points. The senior from Detroit knocked down a triple with just over two minutes left to push the lead to eight and, after an old-fashioned three-point play from the Bobcats, scored the next six in the game to give NIU a 74-63 lead in the final minute, propelling the Huskies to the win.
NIU held Ohio to just 27.6 percent (8-of-29) shooting from the field in the second half; the Huskies shot 45.5 percent (10-of-22) after the break, and also went 20-of-24 (83.3 percent) from the free-throw line.
Jaaron Simmons scored 19 points to lead the way for Ohio; Kenny Kaminski and Treg Setty each added 15 for the Bobcats.
Ohio led by one in the early going until a triple from Armstead gave the Huskies a two-point advantage, 13-11. With NIU leading by one, Armstead split a pair of free throws and made a layup to give the Huskies a four-point lead, 19-15, with 11:45 to play in the first half
Armstead scored nine of his 14 points in the first eight minutes of the contest to fuel the Huskies early.
The Bobcats responded with a 9-0 run to take a 24-19 lead just past the midway point of the opening half. Baker ended the Ohio run with a triple to cut the Bobcat lead to just a pair, 24-22.
NIU and Ohio traded the lead over the final eight minutes of the first half. A pair of free throws from Porter pushed the Huskies in front, 36-35, with 1:35 left before the intermission and Maric split a pair at the line in the final minute to give the Huskies a 37-35 lead at the break.
Armstead and Maric each scored 11 to pace the Huskies in the opening 20 minutes; NIU shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range.
Ohio scored eight of the first 10 out of the intermission to take a four-point lead, 43-39. NIU answered on a layup by Porter off an offensive rebound and a triple from Baker to swing the lead back to the Huskies, 44-43, with 15:21 remaining.
The two teams traded leads until just past the midway point of the second half when Armstead’s three-straight points put the Huskies in front for good as NIU outscored Ohio, 28-16 in the final 10 minutes.
NEXT: Northern Illinois hosts Eastern Michigan (Approx. 5 p.m., ET, second half of double header). Ohio is at home against Ball State (2 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of NIU Athletics)
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