Silas scores 13 of 19 points in second half as Northern Illinois holds off Toledo 58-54

Silas leads Northern Illinois past Toledo 58-54

TOLEDO, Ohio — Xavier Silas scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and Northern Illinois held off Toledo in a 58-54 win on Wednesday night.

Darion Anderson had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Huskies (8-8, 4-0 Mid-American Conference), who extended their winning streak to six games — the school’s longest run since the 1995-1996 season.

It’s also the first time Northern Illinois has gone 4-0 in the conference.

Silas, who went 6-for-14 from the floor and 3-for-6 from 3-point range, broke a 44-44 tie on his 3-pointer with 5:56 left in the second half. The Huskies pushed their margin to eight points on Lee Fisher’s jumper more than 3 minutes later.

The Rockets (3-15, 0-4) cut Northern Illinois’ advantage to 56-54 with 8 seconds left. But Toledo got no closer as Anderson hit two free throws to give the Huskies enough cushion.

Malcolm Griffin led Toledo with 13 points.