DeKalb Times

Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) and Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) each scored 15 points as the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team outlasted Ohio, 58-57, on Friday night (March 4) at the NIU Convocation Center.

NIU held Ohio to just 33.3 percent (17-of-51) shooting from the field, including 28 percent (7-of-25) from three-point range.

"I'm super proud of the guys, throughout the season, but tonight especially because when you have nothing to play for, it shows the character of these young men," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "We played about playing not for ourselves but for the four seniors who sacrificed a lot to be a part of this program.

"We went out and defending the best we have defended all season against a top-two team in the league and I am super proud of these guys."

Leading by a pair with just under six minutes to go, Hankerson knocked in a triple to give the Huskies a 50-45 lead.

After a pair of free throws by Ohio, Williams converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 4:57 remaining to help the NIU advantage grow to a half-dozen, 53-47. The Bobcats cut that lead in half with a three before Adong Makuoi (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada/Daytona State College) finished in the paint and Anthony Crump (Inkster, Mich./Middle Tennessee) made a free throw to push the Huskie lead back to six, 56-50, with three minutes left.

Ohio scored the next five to trim the NIU lead to just one with a little under two minutes to go before Makuoi cleaned up an offensive rebound at the rim to give the Huskies a 58-55 lead with 1:24 remaining.

The Bobcats answered with a basket on the next possession to pull within one but, after an empty possession by the Huskies, NIU got a defense stop to end the game and claim the one-point victory.

Mark Sears finished with 19 points and eight assists for Ohio, Jason Carter added 10 points.

A triple from Zion Russell (Upper Marlboro, Md./National Christian Academy) gave NIU a 9-4 lead early on. Ohio scored the next seven as the Bobcats took an 11-9 lead with 14:33 left in the opening half.

NIU then used a 13-2 run to take a 22-13 lead with 6:27 to play before the break. Chinedu Kingsley Okanu (Lynwood, Ill./Vincennes University) opened the burst with a bucket, Williams added four points and Hankerson converted a layup before Zool Kueth (Gallatin, Tenn./Pratt CC) made a pair of free throws and Hankerson capped the burst with a triple to give the Huskies a nine-point lead.

Crump gave NIU its largest lead of the half, 26-16, with 4:24 left in the half. Ohio then used a 5-1 spurt to cut the Huskie advantage to a half-dozen, 27-21, at the intermission.

Carter led all scorers with eight points for Ohio in the opening 20 minutes, Hankerson led NIU with seven points.

An 8-0 run gave Ohio a two-point lead, 33-31, just over five minutes into the second half. The Bobcat lead grew to four until buckets from Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Weber State) and Williams pulled NIU even at 36 with 12:01 left in the contest.

Williams finished with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his 15 points.

The NIU run grew to 12-2 as Hankerson scored the next four, Noah Kon (Houston, Texas/Houston Christian) added a bucket and Hunter finished at the rim to give NIU a 44-38 lead with 8:37 remaining. The Huskies were still up six before four-straight Ohio free throws got the Bobcats within a pair with six minutes left.