AKRON, Ohio – Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) netted a career-high 28 points but the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team fell, 73-63, on Tuesday night (Feb. 18) at Rhodes Arena. The Huskies fell behind by 16 in the first half but rallied to lead at the break, only to see Akron rally for the win. 

NIU held Akron to just 23.8 percent (5-of-21) from beyond the arc, but the Huskies shot just 25.7 percent (9-of-35) from three-point range. Kailon Nicholls (Toronto, Ontario/Hargrave Military Academy) added 11 points for NIU. 

Akron, who holds the nation's longest win streak at 14 games, jumped out to a 12-2 start in the opening four minutes of the contest. A triple from Tsvet Sotirov (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) with 13:29 to play before the intermission brought the Huskies within nine, but Akron answered with the next seven as the Zips lead grew to 22-6 with 11:33 left in the half. 

Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./Monsignor Scanlan) knocked in a triple, followed by a free throw from James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) and a free throw by Jones, as NIU cut the Akron advantage to 22-11. 

An 8-0 Huskie run brought NIU within five. Nicholls opened the spurt with a bucket, Sotirov added a triple and Jones converted an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the Akron lead to 24-19 with 4:36 left before the intermission. 

After the Akron lead went to seven, NIU scored the next five to get within a pair. Nicholls made a bucket and Jones converted an old-fashioned three-point play to cut the Akron lead to 26-24 with 2:36 to play in the half. 

The Zips scored to go up four but NIU got the next seven to take a 31-28 lead into halftime. Jones and Nicholls both made a pair of free throws before a corner triple by Nicholls gave NIU its first lead of the night with 12 seconds left in the half, making it a 20-4 Huskie run. 

Jones and Nicholls each had nine points to pace NIU in the opening half, Tavari Johnson had nine to lead Akron. 

Akron scored the first eight to begin the second half as the Zips took a 36-31 lead. 

Still in front by three, the Zips used a 7-0 burst to take a 45-35 lead with 11:29 remaining. 

With Akron still in front by 10, Jones knocked in a triple to bring the Huskies back within seven, 49-42, with just over eight minutes to play. 

An old-fashioned three-point play by Steven Tipton (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield Central) brought NIU within four until Akron answered with the next four to take a 55-47 lead with 5:47 left. Jones knocked in a three to trim the lead to five, but the Zips had the next four as the hosts lead grew to nine, 59-50. 

After the Akron lead ballooned to 11, Jones scored five quick points for NIU to cut the Zips advantage to just a half-dozen, 64-58, with 2:07 left, forcing an Akron timeout. 

Still in front by six with just under a minute to go, Akron hit a triple as the shot clock expired to push its lead to nine and put the game out of reach. 

Tavari Johnson and Shammah Scott each scored 15 points to pace the Zips, Nate Johnson added 14 points. 

NIU will return home on Saturday, Feb. 22, as it hosts Eastern Michigan in the second half of a "Cram the Convo" doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. The NIU women's basketball team will open the day against Eastern Michigan at 1 p.m., tickets for the "Cram the Convo" doubleheader are available now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets.