CHICAGO, Ill. – Dylan Ducommun (Geneva, Switzerland) scored 24 points with six triples while Makahi Valentine (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team cruised past Loyola Chicago, 76-59, on Friday night (Nov. 21) at Gentile Arena. 

Jao Ituka (Gaithersburg, Md./Gaithersburg) added 10 points while Taj Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Moravian Prep) had nine points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the victory. Ducommun finished with six assists and no turnovers while Gianni Cobb (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) had five assists and just one turnover. 

NIU (3-3) made 14 three-pointers, one off the school record, while shooting 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from beyond the arc. 

"It was awesome," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "We had a little be of adversity with the traffic on the way here, we got here with 60 minutes to spare, but it started in the preparation. We had quality practices. Obviously, Dylan (Ducommun) 24 (points), six (assists) and zero (turnovers) … We have to fight, we have to play with pride, and we have to execute and I thought we did that for 40 minutes tonight."

Loyola (1-5) led 13-8 before Hassan 'Tre' Washington (Providence, R.I./Prise Academy) knocked in a triple and Ducommun added two from beyond the long line to put the Huskies in front, 17-13. 

Ducommun added another trifecta, opening the contest 5-of-5 from beyond the arc, as the Huskies led 20-16 with 11:13 to play in the opening half. Following Ducommun's fifth triple, Ituka added the next four as the Huskie lead grew to eight. 

A triple from Ituka and a pair of free throws from Valentine gave NIU a 29-18 advantage with 8:32 to play in the half and, after Loyola answered with a three, Walters knocked in a triple try as the Huskies opened the contest 8-of-10 from deep. 

The Ramblers responded with a 7-0 burst to cut the Huskie lead to just four, 34-30, with a little over five minutes to play before the break. 

NIU took a 42-37 lead into the half. Ducommun had 15 first half points as NIU shot 15-of-31 (48.4 percent) from the field in the opening 20 minutes, including 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from three. 

Miles Rubin and Justin Moore each had eight points to lead Loyola in the opening half as the Ramblers shot 45.5 percent (15-of-33) from the field and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from three. 

Loyola scored the first four out of the intermission to trim the NIU lead to one, but Washington finished at the rim and Valentine knocked in a triple to push the lead back to a half-dozen, 47-41, with 17:32 left. 

After a Ducommun bucket and a Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) three, the Huskie lead had grown to 52-43 with a little under 16 minutes to play. 

NIU then scored nine of the next 11 as the Huskie lead grew to 61-45 on Ducommun's sixth triple of the night with 12:18 to go. 

The Huskie lead was still 16 before a pair of free throws from Valentine and a bucket from Daemar Kelly (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) pushed the NIU advantage to 70-50 with a little over seven minutes to play.  

Loyola trimmed the NIU lead back to 13 with just under three minutes left before Ducommun ended the Rambler run with a basket and Walters made a pair of free throws, ending any hopes of a late Rambler comeback. 

Rubin finished with 16 points for Loyola, Deywilk Tavarez chipped in 15 points for the Ramblers. 

NIU will be back in action on Tuesday, Nov. 25, as the Huskies travel to Clarksville, Tenn., to take on Austin Peay.