DEKALB, Ill. – Despite limited depth and key players fouling out, Northern Illinois University’s men’s basketball team secured a 76-66 victory over Ball State on Saturday afternoon at the NIU Convocation Center.
Nasir Muhammad (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) was the standout performer, leading the Huskies with 19 points, including a stellar 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) and Quaran McPherson both recorded double-doubles, contributing 18 points and 10 rebounds each. Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) also played a pivotal role, scoring 11 points and dishing out a game-high six assists.
The double-doubles from Dent and McPherson mark the first time two Huskies have achieved this feat in the same game against a Division I opponent since Anthony Crump (11 points, 14 rebounds) and Kaleb Thornton (10 points, 11 assists) did so against Western Michigan on February 11, 2023.
NIU (5-14, 1-6 MAC) dominated the boards, outrebounding Ball State 41-36. The Huskies also stifled the Cardinals’ offense, limiting them to just 38.6 percent shooting (22-of-57) from the field and 36 percent (9-of-25) from three-point range.
Head coach Rashon Burno praised the energy of the NIU crowd, saying, “Tonight was an unbelievable environment. The fans did an incredible job of giving us energy, and the players fed off that. We had some difficult news with Ethan Butler not feeling well, but the team made a decision—we could feel sorry for ourselves, or we could go out and fight. That’s been the message all year: whoever suits up has the ability to win. We did it as a team, and I’m proud of the effort.”
The game started off evenly, tied at 8-8 early on, before the Huskies went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-8 lead. Key three-pointers from Jones and McPherson, along with a three-point play from McPherson, gave NIU the advantage with 12:16 left in the first half.
McPherson’s third three-pointer of the half extended the lead to 20-11, but Ball State responded with five quick points to pull within four. The Huskies then answered with a four-point play and another three from Dent, pushing the lead to 36-21 with 3:49 remaining in the half.
NIU went into the break with a comfortable 40-29 lead. Dent led all scorers with 14 first-half points, while McPherson added 12 for the Huskies. Ball State was paced by 13 points from Ethan Brittain-Watts. NIU dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Cardinals 26-16 in the opening period, and held Ball State to just 33.3 percent shooting (10-of-30).
The Huskies came out strong in the second half. Trifectas from Tsvet Sotirov (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) and Muhammad pushed the lead to 46-29, prompting a Ball State timeout. Although the Cardinals managed to cut the lead to 11 after hitting a pair of threes, Muhammad answered with his third three-pointer of the game, making it 49-35 with just over 16 minutes remaining.
Another three from Muhammad extended the lead to 56-40, and McPherson added a bucket to push the Huskies’ advantage to 18— their largest lead of the game. Despite a late push from Ball State, which cut the deficit to 12 with just over six minutes to go, the Huskies held on for the win.
Brittain-Watts led Ball State (9-10, 3-4 MAC) with 16 points. Jermahri Hill and Juanse Gorosito each chipped in 12 points, while Payton Sparks added 11 and Mickey Pearson Jr. scored 10.
The Huskies will return to the court on Tuesday, Jan. 28, when they host Akron at the NIU Convocation Center.
