DEKALB, Ill. -- hree players scored in double figures, led by junior Anastasios Demogerontas (Orland Park, Ill./Moraine Valley CC) who had 12 points, as the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team defeated St. Francis (Ill.), 70-60, on Thursday night at the NIU Convocation Center. 

Junior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) and sophomore Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) each added 11 points. Junior Lacey James (Grand Rapids, Mich./Wayland Union/Rider) finished with a team-high eight rebounds to go along with nine points. 

"We got the win but it wasn't the most impressive performance," said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. "We just couldn't put them away, (Thornton) for them made it difficult because he caught fire. It looked like a video game for a second, he was making threes in the corner, top of the key, the other side, so credit him."

NIU (2-0) jumped out to an early 14-5 as a 7-0 run by German helped the Huskies take the nine-point advantage inside the opening six minutes of the contest. 

The NIU lead was seven, 23-16, with just under six minutes to play before halftime when junior Dante Thorpe (Washington, D.C./Triton College) and freshman Gairges Daow (Melbourne, Australia/Victory Rock Academy) added baskets to push the lead to double-digits. 

Thorpe finished the night with seven points and four assists. 

St. Francis outscored NIU 7-3 in the final three minutes of the half to cut the Huskie lead to just seven, 33-26, at the half. 

NIU shot 54.5 percent (12-of-22) in the opening 20 minutes, holding St. Francis to just 36.7 percent (11-of-30) shooting, but the Fighting Saints outrebounded the Huskies, 21-13. 

A basket by St. Francis with just under 15 minutes to play in the contest trimmed the lead to just five, but NIU scored the next eight to push the lead to 13. Demogerontas opened the burst with a bucket, sophomore Noah McCarty (Rock Falls, Ill./Sterling Newman) added a triple, German had a basket and McCarty added a free throw as the Huskies pushed the advantage to 49-36. 

Jorden Thornton, who finished the night with seven triples for St. Francis, made three over the next five minutes to help cut the lead back to seven, but NIU responded with the next eight as the Huskies held their largest lead of the night at 15. Demogerontas once again ignited a run with a trifecta, James added three points and Bradley had a bucket during the burst. 

Thornton stayed hot for the Fighting Saints, scoring the next eight points, but NIU had six of the final nine to earn the 10-point victory. 

NIU shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the field in the game, including 46.7 percent (7-of-13) from three-point range. 

Thornton led all scorers with 25 points, Iain Morison added a double-double with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds for St. Francis. The Fighting Saints outrebounds the Huskies in the game, 41-27. 

NIU will return to action on Monday, Nov. 20, when the Huskies open play at the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla. NIU will meet the University of Pennsylvania in the opening round, tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT.