SEATTLE, Wash. – Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) poured in a career-high 28 points to lead the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team to a 71-64 victory over Washington on Tuesday night (Nov. 9) at Alaska Airlines Arena. The victory was the first for NIU head coach Rashon Burno who was making his collegiate head coaching debut. 

NIU led by as much as 16 in the first half, Washington came back to lead in the second half before a late NIU run gave the visitors the victory. 

"Coming here and beating a really good Washington team with size, athleticism, no one gave us a shot," Burno said. "But I tell my guys it's just the people that is in the circle, people in the locker room are the only ones that need to believe. And then these guys showed fortitude for 40 minutes."

Washington took a 52-51 lead with 5:26 to play in the second half before NIU answered with a 15-2 run to put the game out of reach. Hankerson opened the run with a triple, Anthony Crump added a pair of free throws and Keshawn Williams knocked in a three to put the Huskies in front by five. 

Hankerson knocked in a triple with just under two minutes to go to continue the run. Noah Kon then made a pair of free throws and Hankerson added another bucket to push the NIU advantage to a dozen, 66-54, with just under two minutes left. Washington would cut the NIU lead back to eight in the final seconds but never threatened to regain the lead. 
 
Crump finished with 11 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, along with a game-high six assists. 

NIU held Washington to just 26.7 percent (20-of-75) shooting, including 16.7 percent (3-of-18) from three-point range. 

The visitors took an early 9-4 lead as Crump and Hankerson each knocked down early triples to give the Huskies a five-point edge inside the opening four minutes of the contest. 

Washington answered with the next six to take a one-point lead, but Hankerson put NIU back on top with a triple with 12 minutes left before the break, giving the visitors a 15-12 lead. 

The Hankerson triple ignited a 13-1 NIU run, capped by a deep trifecta from Thornton, as the Huskies led 25-13 with just under eight minutes left before the intermission. 

After a basket by Washington, NIU responded with an 8-2 burst, punctuated by a bucket from Chinedu Kingsley Okanu, as the visitors led 33-17, forcing a Washington timeout. 

Washington scored the next 10 to cut the NIU lead back to a half-dozen, but Hankerson knocked in a triple at the horn to give NIU a 36-27 lead at the intermission. 

Hankerson led all scorers with 11 first half points, Terrell Brown Jr. had eight to pace Washington. NIU shot 50 percent (12-of-24) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three-point range. 

NIU pushed its lead to 11 early in the second half but Washington used a 7-0 run to trim the NIU advantage to just four, 40-36, with 14:40 to play. 

The NIU lead was still four when Williams canned a triple to give the visitors a 45-38 lead.

Washington pulled within one, 45-44, but threes from Thornton and Hankerson, sandwiched around a Washington basket, gave NIU a 51-46 lead with just under eight minutes left. 

A 6-0 burst gave Washington a one-point edge, 52-51, but Hankerson knocked in his fifth triple of the contest to push NIU back in front, 54-52, with four-and-a-half minutes to play, igniting the final run that led NIU to the victory. 

Brown scored 22 points to lead Washington, Nate Roberts added 10 points and 19 rebounds. 

NIU will return to action on Friday, Nov. 12, when the Huskies head to Bloomington, Ind., to face Indiana. Game time against the Hoosiers is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT on BTN+.