Huskies Fall Short at Home Against Kent State: A Clash of Grit and Determination

DEKALB, Ill. – The men’s basketball team at Northern Illinois University suffered a defeat against Kent State, 68-50, on Tuesday evening (Jan. 7) at the NIU Convocation Center. The Golden Flashes restricted the Huskies to merely 30.5 percent (18-of-59) shooting from the field. 

James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) led NIU with a team-best 23 points, while Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan) contributed 10 points. 

“I believe we did enough defensively to remain competitive, but we struggled offensively,” stated NIU head coach Rashon Burno. “We must discover ways to create more scoring opportunities. I felt the lads fought hard, they didn’t surrender, but we need to identify methods to score and secure rebounds.”

Kent State (10-4, 1-1 MAC) outmatched the Huskies on the boards 51-32 and possessed a 46-16 advantage in points scored in the paint. 

The Golden Flashes initiated the game with the first eight points before Dent replied with four consecutive points. Following another Kent State basket, Dent hit a three-pointer from the corner to narrow the Golden Flashes’ lead to just three, 10-7, early in the match. 

A couple of free throws from Ethan Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Southwest Academy) brought the Huskies within four, 17-13, just prior to the midpoint of the initial half, but the Golden Flashes responded with the next five points, extending their advantage to nine. 

Butler concluded the game with nine points and five rebounds. 

With a lead of nine, 26-19, Kent State exploded with a 9-0 run, taking a 35-19 lead with a little over three minutes remaining before halftime. 

Kent State led 35-21 at the break. VonCameron Davis netted 16 points in the first half, making him the top scorer, while Dent added 10 points for the Huskies. The Golden Flashes shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field in the first half, while limiting the Huskies to just 27.6 percent (8-of-29) shooting. 

As Kent State maintained a 17-point lead a little over seven minutes into the second half, NIU launched an 11-4 run, narrowing the gap to 10 with eight minutes left, prompting a Kent State timeout. Dent opened the surge with a three-pointer, followed by Munden adding another three, and Dent fired in another long-range bucket. Quaran McPherson (South Jamaica Queens, N.Y./Link Year Prep) capped the run with a basket, allowing NIU to reduce Kent State’s lead to 54-44. 

McPherson contributed six points along with a team-leading eight rebounds. 

The Golden Flashes were ahead by 11 when a 6-0 run extended their lead to 63-46 with 4:46 remaining, effectively sealing the game. 

Davis recorded 31 points and 10 rebounds for Kent State, shooting 14-of-28 from the field. Cli’ron Hornbeak contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds, while Jalen Sullinger also tallied 10 points. 

NIU will look to bounce back on Saturday, Jan. 11, as the Huskies head to Athens, Ohio, to take on the Ohio Bobcats. The game is scheduled to start at 12 p.m. CT.