The Bulls (14-16, 8-9 MAC) traveled to Northern Illinois (12-18, 8-9 MAC) and earned their second victory of the season over the Huskies, 85-75.
Sophomore guard Curtis Jones led the team with 21 points — a 17-point improvement over last game: a 101-71 loss to Toledo. Jones continues to lead the Bulls with a 15.1-point-per-game average.
UB was able to capitalize on the boards, out rebounding the Huskies by eight. Junior forward Isaiah Adams was only one point behind Jones, with 20 points while senior forward LaQuill Hardnett led the team in minutes played and finished third in points scored with 15.
Junior forward Jonnivius Smith (10 points) has established himself as the Bulls’ best bench scorer with another strong performance. The Huskies quickly fell behind, as the Bulls led by 10 points just five minutes into the game at 14-4. That lead grew to as much as 19 points at 56-37 after Jones made a three-point jumper with 15:50 to go in the second half.
The Bulls will now prepare to play the Miami (OH) Redhawks (12-18, 6-11 MAC) at home to wrap up the regular season on Friday. UB can solidify its spot as the No. 6 seed in the upcoming MAC Tournament with a win. If the Bulls lose on Friday, Northern Illinois can jump UB for the No. 6 seed with a win against Eastern Michigan (8-22, 5-12 MAC). Friday’s matchup can be streamed on ESPN+.
The sports desk can be reached at sports@ubspectrum.com
