DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team saw its three-game win streak end on Saturday (Jan. 28) as the Huskies fell, 87-69, to Ball State at the NIU Convocation Center. David Coit (Columbus, N.J.) scored a team-high 20 points and Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) added 18 but NIU was unable to overcome a 16-point halftime deficit. 

Anthony Crump (Inkster, Mich.) added 12 points, going 8-of-10 from the free-throw line, and a team-high seven rebounds. 

"We are disappointed," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "I thought the first eight minutes of the game wasn't our style of play, with regards to attention to details. I didn't think we had the physical toughness that it would take to win the game early. Going into the game we talked about needing to exert a lot of energy in regard to keeping (Ball State) off the glass because I felt that would be one of the areas they would try to exploit, and they did."

Ball State outrebounded the Huskies 43-29 in the contest. 

Thornton made a pair of triples and finished a layup off a turnover in the opening four minutes for the Huskies as they took an early 10-9 advantage. 

After a triple from Coit tied the game at 14, Ball State used a 6-0 burst to move in front, 20-14, with just over 12 minutes to play in the opening half. 

Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio) knocked in a triple from the wing to cut the Cardinal lead in half, but Ball State responded with the next 11 to take a 31-17 lead with 6:45 left before the intermission. 

Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J.) ended the Ball State run with a layup and Hunter finished off an offensive rebound. Those baskets ignited an 8-3 burst for the Huskies as NIU climbed back within nine, but Ball State answered with the next seven as the Cardinals led 41-25 with just over three minutes left in the half. 

Ball State took a 49-33 lead into the break. The Cardinals shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) in the opening 20 minutes, including 71.4 percent (10-of-14) from three. Thornton led NIU with 10 points in the first half, Demarius Jacobs had 10 for the Cardinals. Ball State had a 13-2 advantage in points off turnovers in the opening half. 

In the second half, the Cardinals cooled from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from three, but grabbed 13 offensive rebounds that they converted into 15 second chance points. 

Jarron Coleman led the way for Ball State with 20 points, Jacobs finished with 16 and Mickey Pearson added 10 points. 

NIU will head back on the road for its next two, beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Western Michigan. Game time against the Broncos is slated for 6 p.m. CT.