CHICAGO -- Xavier Silas scored a game-high 24 points and Northern Illinois held off a late rally by Chicago State to win 99-93 Wednesday night.
Mike DiNunno added a season-high 20 points and Darion "Jake" Anderson posted 14 points and six rebounds for Northern Illinois (4-8), which notched its first road victory of the season.
Chicago State (5-11), which lost its fourth in a row, was led by Christian Wall's 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting.
The Huskies led 50-30 at halftime, but the Cougars outscored Northern Illinois 63-49 in the second half. NIU held a 43-33 rebounding advantage and had 21 assists but committed a season-high 25 turnovers.
Both teams shot well. The Huskies hit 57.4 percent and the Cougars 47.2 percent.
The Huskies are 21-0 all time against Chicago State.
Northern Illinois will open Mid-American Conference play at Ball State on Saturday.