OXFORD, OH -- There was no furious comeback or overtime needed this time.
Northern Illinois took an early lead and put on a shooting clinic as the Huskies posted their second straight MAC road victory with an 83-70 win over Miami at Millett Hall.
After defeating Ohio in overtime Saturday, Northern Illinois (9-6, 2-0 MAC) shot 57.7 percent overall and 50 percent from beyond the arc against the RedHawks (8-7, 0-2 MAC). NIU also owned a 32-25 advantage on the boards and made four more free throws.
Miami, meanwhile, connected on 43.1 percent (22-of-51) from the floor and just 29.6 percent (8-of-27) from distance.
Nike Sibande (16 points) was one of four RedHawks in double figures. Darrian Ringo netted 14, followed by Dalonte Brown (12) and Bam Bowman (10).
Junior guard Eugene German (23) and senior guard Dante Thorpe (24) combined for 47 points to lead Northern Illinois. Together, they made 17-of-26 shots (65.3%) from the field and 10-of-13 at the line.
Senior forward Levi Bradley netted 16 points, while Levi James chipped in 10 points.
Brown’s old-fashioned 3-point play at 17:40 put Miami in front 5-4. The RedHawks expanded the lead and were up 14-8 after Mekhi Lairy’s layup at 14:01.
A 9-3 Huskie run tied the contest at 17-all midway through the period. Bradley and Brown then traded threes before Dante Thorpe scored on a layup to put Northern Illinois in front for good. By halftime, it was an eight point advantage at 43-35.
Thorpe scored six of the Huskies first eight points early in the second stanza as NIU nudged the lead into double digits (51-40).
Two Sibande free throws at 8:54 pulled MU within six at 59-53, but the Huskies pulled away again and led by as many as 16 before finishing with a 13=point margin.