DEKALB, Ill. – Four players scored in double figures as the Northern Illinois University men's basketball downed Western Michigan, 85-65, on Tuesday night (Jan. 27) at the NIU Convocation Center. Dylan Ducommun (Geneva, Switzerland) led the way with 21 points, Makhai Valentine (Munhall, Pa./Steel Valley) and Taj Walters (Bronx, N.Y./Moravian Prep) each scored 16 points while Gianni Cobb (Chicago, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) added 10 points and eight assists.

NIU shot 50 percent (32-of-64) from the field, including 50 percent (15-of-30) from three-point range. The Huskies shot 57.1 percent (20-of-35) from the floor in the second half, which included 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from three. NIU recorded 19 assists with just nine turnovers. 

"This was a complete effort," said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. "We came out of Ball State and Ohio disappointed with our offensive execution. Our defense all year as kept us in games, Ohio three-point game, Ball State five-point game, we just had some hard luck scoring consistently … We had to come back and regroup; we gave the players off Sunday and Monday we got a lot of shots up. We needed confidence on the offensive end."

NIU (7-13, 3-6 MAC) scored the first 10 points to open the contest as Valentine connected on a pair of triples in the opening four minutes. 

Western Michigan (8-13, 2-7 MAC) netted the next six points before a triple from Ducommun pushed the Huskie lead back to seven, 13-6, with 13:40 to play in the half. 

Ducommun made seven triples in the contest, the most in a game by a Huskie since David Coit made eight on Nov. 25, 2023, at DePaul. 

The Huskies used an 8-0 burst to take a 21-8 lead just past the midway point of the opening stanza. Cobb opened the run with a floater before Daemar Kelly (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) and Valentine added triples. Western Michigan responded with the next seven points, trimming the NIU lead to 21-15 with 7:48 left in the opening 20 minutes. 

A triple from Walters started a 9-2 spurt for NIU as Isaiah Washington (Fayetteville, N.C./Winston-Salem Christian) added an old-fashioned three-point play and Ducommun knocked in a corner triple, off a feed from Cobb, as the Huskies took a 30-17 lead with just over four minutes to play before the intermission. 

Walters and Hassan 'Tre' Washington (Providence, R.I./Prise Academy) each finished with eight rebounds. 

NIU's lead was 11 before Western Michigan scored the final six points of the half, trimming the Huskie lead to 35-30 at the break. Valentine led all scorers with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes, Brady Swartz and Justice Williams each had seven to lead the Broncos. 

The hosts opened the second half on an 11-3 run as Walters made three-straight buckets for the Huskies, Ducommun added a triple and Cobb scored off a turnover as NIU pushed its lead to 46-32 with 14:55 to play. 

The Broncos were back within 10 after a pair of free throws, but Valentine made a long two to jumpstart a 10-0 run for NIU. Ducommun added a pair of triples, sandwiched around a basket from Cobb, as the Huskie lead grew to 60-40 midway through the second half. 

Following a Western Michigan timeout, Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) added a bucket as the run grew to 12-0.

The Broncos used an 8-3 burst to trim the Huskie lead to 65-48 with a little over seven minutes to play, but that is as close as Western Michigan would get as the Huskies cruised to a 20-point victory. 

Swartz finished with 16 points for the Broncos, Williams and Trey Lewis each added 10 points. 

NIU will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 31, when the Huskies travel to Oxford, Ohio, to face 24th-ranked, and undefeated, Miami. Tip-off against the RedHawks is slated for 2:30 p.m. CT.