Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) tied a career-high with 22 points and the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team used a 19-0 run wrapped around halftime to earn a 79-66 victory over Monmouth on Tuesday night (Nov. 12) at the NIU Convocation Center.

Ethan Butler (Toronto, Ontario/Southwest Academy) added 15 points while James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) and Kailon Nicholls (Toronto, Ontario/Hargrave Military Academy) each chipped in 10 points as the Huskies shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48) from the field, including 45 percent (9-of-20) from three.

“I thought our team played a complete game for 40 minutes on both sides of the ball,” said NIU head coach Rashon Burno. “I thought we settled down on the defensive end. (Abdi) Bashir (for Monmouth) is one of those guards that has a green light and is very talented, I thought we did a good job of making him take tough shots.

“We eliminated the three-point line, which is crucial for a team like that. They (usually) get up about 30 threes, with us they only got up 16. That was a major focal point for us in the scouting report and going into game prep, we wanted to take away the three-point line. We had tremendous balance on offense with four guys in double figures.”

A triple from Jones jumpstarted a 7-2 burst for the Huskies as NIU took a 14-10 lead in the opening six-plus minutes of the contest. Butler scored nine of the first 14 for the Huskies, including a finish at the rim to cap the burst.

Monmouth (0-3) scored the next five to move in front by one before Jones added the next four to give the Huskies an 18-15 advantage with 11:41 to play in the opening half.

Another bucket from Butler gave the Huskies a four-point lead, 22-18, before Monmouth used an 8-0 run to take a 26-22 lead.

The Hawks led by three, 30-27, before a triple by Dent and Nasir Muhammad (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) went coast-to-coast for a layup, giving NIU a two-point lead with just over four minutes to play before the intermission.

Muhammad finished with nine points and a game-high three assists.

After four-straight free throws from Monmouth, NIU closed the half on a 10-0 run. Jones scored six of the 10, including a layup to end the half, as the Huskies took a 42-34 lead into the break.

Jones had 15 first half points to lead the Huskies, Butler added 13 while Abdi Bashir Jr. led all scorers 16 points in the opening 20 minutes. NIU shot 53.3 percent (16-of-30) from the field in the first stanza, including 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from three.

NIU (2-1) opened the second half on a 9-0 run as Jones scored the first four to start the half before Nicholls added a layup and Muhammad knocked in a corner triple, putting the Huskies in front 51-34 less than four minutes into the second half and forcing a Monmouth timeout.

Jones’ 22 points in the contest tied his career-best set last season against Long Beach State (Jan. 4, 2024) while at Cal Poly.

The Hawks finally ended the Huskie run and scored seven-straight to get back within 10, but NIU answered with the next five to lead 56-41 with a little under 12 minutes to go.

A triple by Joe Munden Jr. (Harlem, N.Y./ Monsignor Scanlan) gave the Huskies a 65-46 lead with just over nine minutes to play. Monmouth closed the gap to as little as 10 with just over two minutes to go, 73-63, but that is as close as the visitors would get as NIU closed out its second consecutive victory.

NIU held Monmouth to just 23.5 percent (8-of-34) shooting in the second half, including 1-of-8 (12.5 percent) from three-point range.

Bashir finished with a game-high 25 for the Hawks, Madison Durr added 14 points.

NIU will return to action on Saturday night, Nov. 16, as the Huskies travel to Peoria to meet Bradley for the first time since 2010. Game time against the Braves is slated for 7 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+.