DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team and Kent State traded 12 leads and were tied seven times on Tuesday night (Jan. 16) before the Golden Flashes made a late surge to claim an 83-76 victory over the Huskies at the NIU Convocation Center. 

Kent State shot 60.4 percent (32-of-53) from the field, including 47.8 percent (11-of-23) from three-point range as it held off the Huskies who shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the floor and made a season-high 13 triples, shooting 56.5 percent (13-of-23) from beyond the arc. 

Xavier Amos (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) scored a team-best 20 points, going 8-of-12 from the floor. David Coit (Columbus, N.J./Atlantic Cape CC) and Philmon Gebrewhit (Boston, Mass./DePaul) each netted 17 points and made five triples. 

"Frustrating loss," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "I thought the kids fought extremely hard. The little things, free throw block outs down the stretch, cost us. Two huge opportunities to get a lead or extend a lead and we didn't have what it takes to get the defensive rebound."

A pair of triples helped Kent State go on an early 8-0 run as the Golden Flashes took a 10-2 advantage less than three minutes into the contest. 

Following a pair of free throws by Quaran McPherson (Queens, N.Y./Nebraska), Kent State scored the next five as the visitors lead grew to 15-4 with 14:28 left in the opening half. 

Back-to-back triples from Coit ignited a 15-2 Huskie run as NIU went in front, 23-22. Gebrewhit added a triple before a bucket by Kent State. Amos then converted an old-fashioned three-point play and Gebrewhit knocked in his second trifecta as the Huskies went in front by one with 8:08 to play in the half. 

NIU (6-11, 0-5 MAC) was still in front by one heading into the final minute of the half before Reggie Bass knocked in a pair of triples for Kent State to give the Golden Flashes a 40-35 advantage at the break. 

Bass led all scorers with 17 first half points, Amos, Coit and Gebrewhit each had nine to pace the Huskies. Kent State shot 55.6 percent (15-of-27) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from three. NIU was 60 percent (6-of-10) from three-point range in the opening stanza. 

Kent State (9-8, 2-3 MAC) led by three, 46-43, before Coit's fifth triple of the night tied the contest and Amos put NIU in front for the first time in the second half, 48-46, with 16:03 left to play. 

Tied at 60, Kent State used an 8-0 run to take a 68-60 lead with 8:11 remaining. 

Ethan Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Oregon) ended the Kent State run with a bucket before a pair of triples from Amos, sandwiched around a basket for the Golden Flashes, brought NIU within a pair, 70-68, with 5:47 left. 

The Golden Flashes scored the next four, pushing their lead to a half-dozen and, after a basket by Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J./Clarendon College), Kent State scored five-straight to take a 79-70 lead with 1:32 to play. 

Nutter finished with 10 points in his first game after missing the last three due to injury. 

Bass and VonCameron Davis each scored 23 points to lead Kent State. Jalen Sullinger added 17 points and Chris Payton Jr. recorded 13 points. 

NIU is off this weekend as the Huskies will return to action next Tuesday, Jan. 23, when they host Toledo at 7 p.m. Tickets for all remaining Huskie Basketball games are available at NIUHuskies.com/tickets.