DeKALB, Ill. – Xavier Silas scored 26 points and Northern Illinois rallied in the final minutes to beat Utah Valley 86-76 on Friday.
Silas made three 3-pointers and 11 of 12 free throws for the Huskies (4-7), who shot 53.4 percent (31 of 58). Jeremy Landers added 17 points, Bryan Hall 13 and Tony Nixon 10.
Ben Aird's double-double led the Wolverines (6-8). Aird had 16 points and a game-best 13 rebounds. Holton Hunsaker scored 20 points but missed eight of his 10 3-point attempts. Shawn Deadwiler added 11 points and Isiah Williams 10.
Six free throws by Silas over a span of 57 seconds broke a 66-66 tie and provided the Huskies with a 72-66 lead with 4:37 to play. Northern Illinois trailed by no fewer than four the rest of the way.
The Huskies forced 18 turnovers but committed only 10.
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