Men’s basketball: David Coit scores 27 as NIU downs Appalachian State

David Coit scored 27 points, leading four NIU players in double figures as the Huskies knocked off Appalachian State 91-78 in their home opener.

Zarique Nutter scored 19, Philmon Gebrewhit scored 18 and Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 11 as the Huskies (1-1) bounced back from a season-opening loss at No. 5 Marquette.

“Today was a program win,” NIU head coach Rashon Burno said. “We knew coming out of Marquette that we were a better team than we showed in the first half. We led this game for 35 minutes, after the 8-2 run by (App State) to start, we led this game, and that is a really good program, went to the NCAA Tournament two years ago, were picked second in their league. That’s a really good win for us.

“This is a big win, happy for the guys, happy for the program, the Convocation Center had energy, and it’s something we have to build on.”

Despite falling down early, the Huskies took a 22-13 lead about midway through the first half. The lead grew to 59-41 in the second half, but a 15-0 run by App State over a stretch of about 7 minutes shrunk the lead to three with 9:32 left.

Gebrewhit drained a 3-pointer to ignite a 14-1 run as the Huskies sealed the win.