Northern Illinois downs Idaho 78-67
DEKALB, Ill. -- Aaric Armstead and Darrell Bowie scored 16 points apiece and Northern Illinois beat Idaho 78-67 Thursday night, denying Vandals coach Don Verlin his 100th career win.
Travon Baker scored 14, Jordan Threloff 11, and the Huskies (2-0 Mid-American Conference) outshot the Vandals 51 percent to 42.9 percent.
It is the first 2-0 start for the Huskies since 2006-07.
Sekou Wiggs scored 18 for Idaho (2-1 Big Sky), Mike Scott 17, and Bira Seck grabbed 11 rebounds.
Idaho led 17-16 on a free throw by Ty Egbert, but Chuks Iroegbu's 3-pointer sparked a 10-2 NIU run and the Huskies led 39-27 at halftime.
Idaho drew to within five (41-36) after a 9-0 run in the second half, but Armstead hit three 3-pointers in building a 14-point NIU lead. The Vandals again closed to within five (61-56) at 8:43 on a jumper by Scott, but NIU rallied again with 10 free throws down the stretch.
Game Information
- Referees:
- Darryl Smith
- Dan Dorian
- Kyle Ingram
2023-24 Big Sky Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Washington | 15-3 | - | 21-11 |
| Montana | 12-6 | 3 | 24-12 |
| Northern Colorado | 12-6 | 3 | 19-14 |
| Weber State | 11-7 | 4 | 20-12 |
| Montana State | 9-9 | 6 | 17-18 |
| Portland State | 8-10 | 7 | 17-15 |
| Northern Arizona | 7-11 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Idaho State | 7-11 | 8 | 14-20 |
| Idaho | 5-13 | 10 | 11-21 |
| Sacramento State | 4-14 | 11 | 10-24 |
2023-24 Mid-American Conference Standings
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 14-4 | - | 20-12 |
| Akron | 13-5 | 1 | 24-11 |
| Ohio | 13-5 | 1 | 20-13 |
| Central Michigan | 12-6 | 2 | 18-14 |
| Bowling Green | 10-8 | 4 | 20-14 |
| Miami (OH) | 9-9 | 5 | 15-17 |
| Western Michigan | 9-9 | 5 | 12-20 |
| Kent State | 8-10 | 6 | 17-17 |
| Ball State | 7-11 | 7 | 15-16 |
| Eastern Michigan | 6-12 | 8 | 13-18 |
| Northern Illinois | 5-13 | 9 | 11-20 |
| Buffalo | 2-16 | 12 | 4-27 |
Men's College Basketball News
