Nov. 15, 2006

Box Score

DeKALB, Ill. - Northern Illinois shot almost 60 percent from the field and returning starters James Hughes, Mike McKinney and Zach Pancratz handled the scoring load as NIU opened its 2006-07 men's basketball season with an 84-69 victory over St. Mary's (Minn.) Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.

McKinney led all scorers with 20 points on eight-of-11 shooting from the field while Hughes and Pancratz added 17 points apiece. Pancratz chipped in with six assists in a team-high 37 minutes while newcomer Shaun Logan led the Huskies in rebounds with eight.

Despite the season-opening win, NIU Head Coach Rob Judson was looking for more from his defense as St. Mary's hit 11-of-20 three-pointers and 46.6 percent overall from the field to stay within range of the Huskies.

"Our three-point defense is not where we need it right now," Judson said. "We played very well offensively...moved the ball very well and got a lot of shots in the paint. We have a lot of new players here learning, but ... we need to improve as a team. Our offensive intensity and focus was good, but we need to defend and rebound the basketball [better]."

Alex Washington paced three St. Mary's players in double-figures with 13 points. Michael Rohr tallied 12 points and eight rebounds for the visitors, while Brensley Haywood had 10 points and five assists.

NIU jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first minute of play and never looked back. After St. Mary's cut the lead to 6-2 on Washington's first basket of the game, Northern Illinois quickly extended its lead to 18-6 at the 16-minute mark and the Cardinals would get no closer than seven points the rest of the game.

The Huskies led 48-35 at halftime as McKinney scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half. Northern Illinois extended its lead to 21 points twice in the second half, but St. Mary's hit three-pointers to get as close as 12 points before falling by the final margin of 15.

Northern Illinois next travels to Pittsburgh, Pa. where it will take on Duquesne on Monday (Nov. 20) in the first of two straight match-ups between the teams. NIU's next home game is Saturday, Nov. 25 versus Duquesne in DeKalb. Tickets for that game, which tips off at 2 p.m. at the Convocation Center, are available on-line at www.niuhuskies.com, at the Convocation Center Box Office and through Ticketmaster.

Post-Game Notes

• The Huskies extended their home winning streak to five games.

• The Huskies extended their home winning streak vs. non-conference opponents to five games.

• The Huskies have hit a three-pointer in 222 straight games.

• NIU held its opponent to under 100 points for the 100th straight time.

• NIU is now 3-3 in season openers under head coach Rob Judson. The last home opener victory came November 22, 2003 when the Huskies defeated Eastern Illinois, 83-76.

-- NIU --