Free throws proved to make the difference for the NIU men’s basketball team in Thursday night’s loss at Ohio.

The Huskies (6-14 overall, 2-6 MAC) fell 89-59 to the Bobcats in their fourth consecutive loss. NIU continues to struggle on the road, dropping 9-of-11 away from DeKalb.

The Bobcats (11-10, 4-4) found themselves at the free-throw line 40 times Thursday, nailing 35 of 40 from the charity stripe. In contrast, the Huskies made it to the line only 12 times, converting on 10 of their tries.

“Teams are playing very physical against us in conference play, and we haven’t been as physical as we need to be on the other end,” said NIU head coach Ricardo Patton. “When we have pushed back, we’ve been unfortunate in committing fouls.”

Ohio forward Jerome Tillman led the way for the Bobcats with 24 points and seven rebounds. The senior shot 7-10 from the field and went 9-10 from the charity stripe. Fellow forward Justin Orr burned NIU from outside, shooting 4-5 from 3-point range, totaling 16 points in the contest.

Darion “Jake” Anderson set the pace for the Huskies with 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half. The sophomore went 6-10 from the field and pulled down six rebounds. Guards Michael Patton and Mike DiNunno also chipped in with 11 and 10 points respectively.

NIU struggled to control the ball, turning the rock over 18 times. The Bobcats took advantage of the Huskies’ miscues by scoring 25 points off turnovers.

“Their press really rushed us in the first half,” Patton said. “They were very aggressive when pressing, and when you play that way, you expect your guys to step up and make ‘basketball plays.’ We turned it over too much during that stretch instead of taking advantage of the press by getting out and running.”

NIU continues its MAC East swing as it travels to first place Buffalo. The Huskies square off with the Bulls (15-5, 7-1) Saturday at 1 p.m.

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