DeKalb Times

Northern Illinois University Athletic Department issued the following announcement on Dec. 19

The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team rallied from down as much as 16 to lead in the final minute, but UIC made a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left to edge the Huskies, 61-60, on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 19) at Credit Union 1 Arena. Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) and Anthony Crump (Inkster, Mich./Middle Tennessee) each scored career highs for the Huskies as Williams netted 25 and Crump added 16 points.

"They beat us by 10 on the boards and had 11 offensive rebounds and the thing that stood out was our start," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "I have to do a better job of getting the right matchups and lineups to start the game, so we are going to do some things differently. I'm proud of the guys, they competed but we have to get better to start the game, guys have to start quicker."

UIC (4-7) led 35-28 at halftime and increased its advantage to nine before a basket from Chinedu Kingsley Okanu (Lynwood, Ill./Vincennes University) and a layup by Williams off a turnover brought NIU within five, 39-34, early in the second half.

Okanu finished with eight points on 3-of-4 from the field.

Crump rattled in a pair of triples which, combined with a basket from Williams, gave NIU an 8-3 spurt that brought the Huskies within a pair, 50-48, with nine minutes remaining. Following a UIC basket, Williams scored the next four to pull NIU even at 52 with 6:40 left.

UIC went back ahead by five, 59-54, but Crump scored the next six, including a short jumper with 54 seconds remaining to give the Huskies a 60-59 lead.

Crump's 6-0 run started with a pair of free throws with 2:54 to play, NIU then forced a turnover and Crump scored on the break to bring the Huskies within one before his jumper in the paint gave the Huskies a one-point lead.

After UIC came up empty on its next possession, the Flames were forced to foul with 10 seconds left. The Huskies missed the front end of a one-and-one and were called for a foul on the rebound.

Marcus Larsson stepped to the line and made a pair of free throws for UIC to give the Flames a 61-60 lead. The Huskies called a timeout and got to the rim but couldn't convert as UIC held on for the narrow victory.

Damaria Franklin scored 17 points to lead the way for UIC, Kevin Johnson added 14 points for the Flames. NIU shot 58.3 percent (14-of-24) from the field in the second half and got 33 points from its bench in the contest, compared to just 14 bench points for UIC.

UIC jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the opening two minutes before Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Weber State) connected on a triple to get the Huskie offense started. The Flames answered with the next nine as the UIC lead grew to 16-3 five minutes into the contest.

NIU (3-7) went on a 9-1 run to trim the UIC advantage to 22-14 just past the midway point of the opening half. Williams opened the run with a pair of free throws, Crump added a finish at the rum before Williams converted a three-point play and a dunk off a steal to bring the Huskies back within eight.

The UIC advantage grew back to 12 late in the first half but the Huskies finished with a 6-1 burst to trim the Flames lead to 35-28 at the break. Crump scored off a feed from Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi), Williams got a layup off a turnover forced by Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Iowa Western CC) and Williams had another finish at the basket just as time expired to get the Huskies within seven at the break.

NIU will return home on Wednesday night, Dec. 22, as the Huskies host Indiana State. Tipoff against the Sycamores is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Huskie Flex Plans are now available for the 2021-22 basketball season. Purchase vouchers for $6 each and use them throughout the season to attend Huskie men's and women's basketball home games. Simply redeem vouchers for tickets at the box office prior to the game. Tickets can be purchased online at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).

Original source can be found here.