DEKALB, Ill. – The ULM men's basketball team (0-1) fell on the road to open the season, 102-82, to Northern Illinois (1-0) in the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Warhawks drop to 2-1 when competing in the challenge. 
 
Monroe native Krystian Lewis led the team with 22 points, also collecting five assists, a rebound and a steal. Przemek Hartman shot 7-of-12 to reach 16 points in his freshman debut, also registering five boards and three assists. To round out double-digit scoring, Dylan Diaz hit three triples for 13 points, posting three rebounds as well.
 
Lewis opened the scoring for both teams, hitting a jumper for the 2-0 lead just 12 seconds in. A four-point-play from freshman Alex Molofeev allowed the Warhawks to lead, the road team quickly making work of creating a deficit. Another triple, this time from Mississippi State transfer MJ Russell extended the lead to five with 18:03 remaining in the half. The Warhawks notched their biggest lead of the night on a Molofeev jumper, securing the 15-4 score. 
 
The home team refused to be denied, however, as the Huskies went on a 9-0 run to close the gap to two points. A three-pointer from Jao Ituka secured the first lead of the night for NIU with 12:29 on the clock. A three-minute scoring drought for ULM allowed the Huskies to break away and find an 11-point lead halfway through the first 20 minutes. 
 
Lewis notched a triple to cut the deficit down to single digits, but a foul called for NIU free throws, bringing the lead right back up to 11. While the Warhawks battled to keep chipping away, the lead stood through the halfway point, with a 45-38 score.
 
An early layup by Renars Sondors got ULM to a two-possession game, Diaz notching a shot from beyond the arc for the 43-47 score. Each time the Warhawks were able to cut it close, NIU would pull away yet again, shooting 65.6% from the field, a drastic 20% increase from the first half. The Huskies pulled away, another Jao Ituka triple securing the 13-point lead with 14:17 to go. 
 
As ULM continued to find opportunities, NIU found more, extending the lead to 20 by the 10-minute mark. A Jaylen Wharton jumper had the Huskies reaching triple digits, Hartman scoring the final two shots from the field to solidify the 102-82 game against NIU.
 
The Huskies brought down 44 rebounds to ULM's 18, giving NIU 31 second chance points on the evening. Additionally, the drastic difference from NIU's shooting in the second half versus the first is a direct indicator of how the Huskies were able to pull away. 
 
ULM men's basketball will pick things up on the road at Ole Miss on Friday (Nov. 7). Tipoff against the Rebels is slated for 6:30 p.m.