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MOSCOW, Idaho – Junior Aaric Armstead (Chicago, Ill./La Jolla Prep) and sophomore Marin Maric (Split, Croatia/La Lumiere School) each recorded double-doubles as the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team outlasted Idaho, 66-59, on Saturday night at Memorial Gym. Armstead scored 17 points with 10 rebounds for his second career double-double and Maric added 14 points and 11 rebounds while recording the first double-double of his career.

With the victory, NIU improves to 6-0 for just the sixth time in school history, and only the second time since the 1944-45 season. Idaho falls to 4-3 on the season.

“Thank god for the two guys with double-doubles because we rode them,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “Marin Maric had to play with foul trouble and found a way to get a double-double and Aaric Armstead was huge in the second half, not just with his scoring but his rebounding also. But it was a great team win. We got the lead, then we got punched in the face and we hung on and found a way to win by getting defensive stops.

“It was a great month of November, we finished the month 6-0 and tonight we found a way to win the game.”

Idaho jumped out to a quick 10-2 lead less than four minutes into the contest before back-to-back baskets by Armstead trimmed the Vandals lead back to four, 10-6.

A triple from freshman Laytwan Porter (Rockford, Ill./Auburn) helped bring the Huskies within a pair, 17-15, and start a 7-2 burst that saw NIU pull even, 19-19, on a pair of free throws by Maric just past the midway point of the opening half.

The Vandals pushed their lead back to a half-dozen, 27-21, until NIU used an 8-1 run to take their first lead of the night, 29-28, with 5:23 left before the intermission. Freshman Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) opened the run with a jumper from the short corner, junior Michael Orris (Crete, Ill./Crete-Monee/Kansas State) added a wing triple, Armstead made a pair from the line and freshman Marshawn Wilson (Oakdale, Minn./Hill-Murray) added one from the charity stripe to put the Huskies in front.

Idaho went back in front by three, 32-29, but a pair of free throws from Maric and another triple from Orris gave the Huskies a 34-32 lead at the break.

Orris finished the contest with nine points on three triples.

The Huskies opened the second half with the first two baskets as senior Travon Baker (Detroit, Mich./Detroit Consortium) fed Maric and Armstead as the NIU lead grew to a half-dozen, 38-32.

Baker tallied a game-high six assists, with no turnovers, along with four points and three steals.

Wilson, freshman Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and Porter all connected on triples for the Huskies as NIU pushed its lead out to nine, 47-38, with just over 12 minutes to play. The Porter triple sparked six-straight points for the Huskies as Armstead added a free throw and Bradley converted a basket as the NIU lead grew to a dozen, 50-38, just before the midway point of the second half.
 
Idaho answered back with a 12-3 run to cut the Huskie lead to just three, 53-50, but Armstead knocked down a pair of free throws to keep the Vandals at bay.

The Vandals would pull within a possession, 55-53, with 4:37 left, but Maric and Armstead delivered again for the Huskies, each getting a basket to push the Huskie lead back to six, 59-53, as the clock ticked under four minutes. NIU closed the game out from the free-throw line, scoring their final seven points from the charity stripe to claim the seven-point victory.

Armstead went 9-of-11 from the line to lead the Huskies at the stripe; Maric was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line.

Victor Sanders led Idaho with 17 points, Perrion Callandret added 14 and Nahshon George chipped in 12 points for the Vandals.

NIU will return home on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when the Huskies return to the NIU Convocation Center as they host Chicago State. Game time against the Cougars is slated for 7 p.m.