For the second consecutive season, Northern Illinois opened the conference season with a win over Ohio, this time around it was 80-69.
It was largely due to the play of two men. Travon Baker and Marin Maric both had double digit figures at the half, and both finished with 20+ points as well. Maric (22 points and 14 rebounds) and Baker (25 points) carried the Huskies in what was a quality offensive performance. In the opening 20 minutes NIU shot 7-11 from beyond the arc and was above a 50 percent clip from the floor.