DEKALB, Ill. – A tough night shooting proved to be too much to overcome as Idaho (1-1) fell to Northern Illinois (3-0), 63-49, on Wednesday evening.
 
"I thought we played well in the first half, I thought we did a great job of getting back in transition, we did a great job of rebounding the basketball," said head coach Don Verlin.  "We executed those two points of our game plan all night long.  What got them the lead was a couple of defensive errors that led to a couple of 3-point shots.  And then we just fouled them too much.  At the end of the game when you look at it, if you get out free-thrown by 16 that's way too much.  The bottom line tonight, we didn't shoot the ball well."
 
Idaho shot just 31.6 percent (18-of-57) from the floor and 15.4 percent (4-of-26) from beyond the arc.  The charity stripe wasn't any kinder, as Idaho went 9-of-22 from the line (40.9%).  Foul trouble also plagued the Vandals, as Idaho was called for 31 infractions on the night.
 
The Huskies came out hot in the second half, using a 9-0 run early on to pull ahead.  Idaho stayed close for the majority of the half, but NIU pulled away in the final minutes behind solid shooting at the line.
 
Brayon Blake had another fine night for the Vandals, finishing with a game-high 17 points and nine boards.  He came alive in the second half, scoring 15 of Idaho's 28 points.  Victor Sanders also finished in double-figures, scoring 14 points in just 15 minutes of action due to foul trouble.
 
The Vandals did find some success on the glass.  Idaho outrebounded NIU 41-37 and held a 16-8 advantage in offensive boards.
 
Next up is a trip to Little Rock, Ark., to take on the Trojans.  Check back with GoVandals.com tomorrow for more information on the game.
 
Fans can stay up-to-date on all things Idaho men's basketball by following the team on twitter, @VandalHoops.

For more information on Idaho Athletics, visit GoVandals.com.  Fans can also find Idaho on Twitter and Instagram, @Idaho_Vandals, or on Facebook by searching Idaho Vandals.