DEKALB, Ill. – With the game tied and just 4.3 seconds on the clock in overtime, sophomore
Laytwan Porter (Rockford, Ill./Auburn) stepped to the free-throw line and calmly made a pair of free throws to give the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team an 80-78 victory over Indiana State on Friday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
"I think we gave everyone their money's worth tonight," said NIU head coach
Mark Montgomery. "I thought that we had better rhythm in the first half, we were getting out on the break, we were sharing the ball, we got out to a lead. Then in the second half we came out stagnant. Credit Indiana State, they came out punching and it took us a while to react.
"Then
Marin Maric decided to dominate on the inside. He made big play after big play. I'm proud of my guys because when you have a lead and then a team makes a big shot to force overtime, and makes the first three (in overtime), our guys didn't drop their heads, they kept playing and found a way to win the game."
Senior
Marin Maric (Split, Croatia/La Lumiere School) finished with a career-best 25 on 11-of-14 shooting with seven rebounds. Sophomore
Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) added 14 points and seven rebounds while sophomore
Jaylen Key (Milwaukee, Wis./Homestead) posted his second career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
NIU (1-0) led by as much as seven, 70-63, in the final minute of regulation, but the Huskies went just 2-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final 20 seconds of the contest as Indiana State cut into the NIU lead. With the lead at a pair, 71-69, NIU split a pair of free throws with seven seconds left to push the advantage to three.
Brenton Scott raced the length of the floor and buried a triple for the Sycamores with 1.6 seconds to play, tying the game at 72 and sending it to overtime.
Scott knocked down a triple on the opening possession of the overtime, but it was the only field goal Indiana State would score in the extra session. Trailing by a pair, 78-76, with less than a minute left, senior
Aaric Armstead (Chicago, Ill./La Jolla Prep) threw down a thunderous dunk off an offensive rebound to pull the Huskies even with 46 seconds to play.
Out of a timeout, Jordan Barnes went baseline for Indiana State but Porter came up with a block and the Huskies grabbed the rebound. NIU came up the floor and let the final seconds play out, with Porter getting a step and driving to the basket, where he was fouled.
Porter finished with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals and the block.
After the sophomore from Rockford, Ill., sank his two free throws, Indiana State raced up the floor looking for another buzzer-beater, but they couldn't get a shot off in time as the Huskies hung on to win the opener.
Porter's free throws came just after he came up with a block
In the first half, NIU built a lead as big as a dozen, 29-17, but Indiana State stayed close and cut the Huskie advantage to just seven, 36-29, at the intermission as Matt Van Scoyc closed the half with a triple for the Sycamores.
Indiana State (0-1) scored the first six points out of the intermission to cut the NIU lead to just one, 36-35. The Sycamores took their first lead since the opening five minutes of the game on a layup by Scott with 13:50 to play in the second half, 41-40.
Trailing by three, Maric knocked down a triple just past the midway point of the second half to pull the Huskies back even, 47-47. The trifecta sparked a 7-0 run by Maric as the Huskies took a 51-47 lead with 7:19 to play in regulation.
A triple by Van Scoyc cut the NIU lead back to just one, 53-52, but the Huskies answered with a 7-2 burst to take a 60-54 lead with 4:25 left in the half.
The lead grew to seven in the final minute of regulation before the Sycamores fought back to force overtime.
Scott led Indiana State with a game-high 28 points on 10-of-25 shooting; Van Scyoc and Barnes each added 14 points for the Sycamores.
NIU will return to action on Monday night, Nov. 14, when it hosts Roosevelt University at the NIU Conovcation Center. Game time against the Lakers slated for 7 p.m.
