Anderson, DiNunno carry NIU hoops over Indiana St.

DEKALB - In case you're unfamiliar with Northern Illinois guards Jake Anderson and Mike DiNunno, allow coach Ricardo Patton to provide a familiar comparison.

"Everyone needs a sidekick," Patton said. "Jake Anderson needed a sidekick. Someone that could maybe take some heat off of him at times.

"You know, no different than Michael Jordan needed Scottie Pippen."

Considering Anderson, last season's MAC freshman of the year, and DiNunno have played together for exactly three games, it's a little early to link them to such lofty names.

Then again, they weren't too bad Tuesday night as the Huskies knocked off a solid Indiana State team 86-79 before 1,679 at the Convocation Center.

Anderson and DiNunno shared game-high scoring honors with 27 points apiece to give NIU (2-1) its first winning record in Patton's tenure.

Anderson shrugged off a hard elbow that gave him a bloody nose and contributed 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. DiNunno added 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, but it was his 3-point shooting that turned the game the Huskies' way.

He nailed a fadeaway 3-pointer a split-second before the first-half buzzer to give NIU a 38-33 lead at the break.

Then, in the opening 68 ticks of the second half, DiNunno converted a 4-point play from the corner and then added another 3-pointer from the same spot to give NIU a 10-point lead.

He finished 6 of 12 from beyond the arc, which makes the Roselle resident 12-for-30 on 3-pointers in his nascent career.

Second-year Indiana State coach Kevin McKenna, the former Palatine High School star, recognized instantly that DiNunno isn't a normal freshman.

"He plays with a lot of confidence," McKenna said. "He plays with no fear. And that's the way you have to play this game.

"He took some tough shots and made some. We didn't make it tough enough for him. To have a freshman score 27 points against you, even though he took 17 shots, I let our guys know about it."