DEKALB, Ill. – Kent State won its 11th consecutive game on Tuesday night (March 1) as the Golden Flashes topped the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team, 63-55, at the NIU Convocation Center. Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) scored a team-high 16 points to lead the Huskies, Chinedu Kingsley Okanu (Lynwood, Ill./Vincennes University) added a career-best 14 points. 

"It was two teams fighting hard," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "We competed on the defensive end, they are on an unbelievable tear, in the last 12 games (Kent State) is shooting 49 percent from the field and around 40 percent from three. We knew we had to do a good job to defend and keep them out of rhythm, but we didn't do our job on the offensive end."

The Huskies and Golden Flashes traded leads in the early going, with neither team taking a lead larger than two until a 7-0 burst gave NIU a 17-12 lead with nine minutes left in the first half. Williams scored the first five of the run and Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) capped the run with a layup to give the Huskies a five-point lead. 

Hankerson finished with six points, three assists and three steals. The three steals give him 117 in his career, tied for 10th in school history with Rodney Davis (1984-88). 

Kent State answered with the next seven to reclaim a two-point lead, 19-17. 

With just over two minutes to play in the first half, Zool Kueth (Gallatin, Tenn./Pratt CC) made a pair of free throws to bring NIU within one, but the Golden Flashes closed the half with a 6-0 burst to take a 32-25 lead into the intermission. 

Kent State was still in front by seven two minutes into the second half when the Golden Flashes used another 6-0 spurt to take a 42-29 advantage. 

NIU had trimmed the deficit to 10 with just over 11 minutes to play and then scored the next four on a jumper from Hankerson and a pair of free throws by Williams to get within a half-dozen, 47-41, just past the midway point of the second half. 

After the Golden Flashes lead grew back to 11, Adong Makuoi (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada/Daytona State College) made two free throws to ignite another mini run for NIU. Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio/Weber State) and, after Kent State answered with a bucket, Williams knocked in a triple to get NIU within six again, 56-50, with 2:30 left. 

Makuoi finished with seven points and a team-high tying six rebounds. 

Six was as close as the Huskies would get however as every time NIU scored in the final 150 seconds, Kent State had an answer as the Golden Flashes won their 11th-straight game to extend the nation's fifth-longest win streak. 

Sincere Carry scored a game-high 22 points, including 11-of-15 from the free-throw line, to lead Kent State. Malique Jacobs added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds while Justyn Hamilton chipped in 11 points. 

NIU will conclude the regular season on Friday night, March 4, when the Huskies host Ohio. Game time against the Bobcats is scheduled for 7 p.m.