DEKALB, Ill. – Sophomore Jaylen Key scored a career-high 17 points as the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team took care of Roosevelt University, 99-55, on Monday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
Key led four Huskies in double figures as freshman Eugene German recorded his first career double-figure game with 14 points, sophomore Laytwan Porter added 12 points and senior Marin Maric added 10 points.
“I really liked our start to the game,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “I tried to challenge our team to play at our level, and not to play to the level of the competition. I think our guys responded. I thought our guys were locked in, we shared the ball, we took care of the ball. Jaylen Key got us off to an unbelievable start and it was good to see our guards make some shots.”
The Huskies recorded 20 assists on 40 made field goals with five different players recording at least three assists (Dontel Highsmith, Maric, Austin Pauga, Porter and Marshawn Wilson). NIU shot 60.6 percent (40-of-66) from the field in the contest, including 40.7 percent (11-of-27) from three-point range.
NIU (2-0) held a 49-16 advantage in the paint in the contest and also outscored Roosevelt off turnovers, 25-6.
Key got the Huskies started offensively, scoring seven of NIU’s first nine points as NIU opened the game with a quick 11-2 lead in the opening three-and-a-half minutes of the contest.
With NIU leading 20-11, the Huskies used an 11-0 burst to push the lead to 20. Sophomore Marshawn Wilson opened the run with a basket, Germany added a triple, Key made a jumper, sophomore Levi Bradley had an old-fashioned three-point play and German finished the run with a free throw as the Huskies took a 31-11 lead with just under nine minutes to play in the opening half.
The NIU lead ballooned to 29 at the intermission, 55-26, as the Huskies shot 67.6 percent (23-of-34) from the field, including 42.9 percent (6-of-14) from three, in the opening 20 minutes.
After the break, the Huskie advantage grew to as much as 48 just before the midway point of the half, 80-32, as the Huskies continued to keep the pressure on Roosevelt.
All 11 players that saw action for the Huskies scored, including seven points in just nine minutes from graduate student Sean Damaska.
Kyle Bumbalough led Roosevelt in scoring with 11 points; Zack Harris added 10 for the Lakers.
NIU will conclude its season-opening three-game homestand on Wednesday night, Nov. 16, as the Huskies host Idaho, a 21-win team from a season ago, in the second half of a doubleheader. The NIU women’s basketball team will host Milwaukee at 5:30 p.m., in their home opener before the Huskies and Vandals take the floor at 8 p.m.
