Chicago State’s basketball season began with familiar frustrations as the Cougars committed 21 turnovers in an 89-72 loss to Northern Illinois at Jones Convocation Center on Monday night.
The defeat marked another disappointing start for a program that has won just 15 games over the past three seasons combined under head coach Gerald Walton. Chicago State shot a respectable 46.7% from the field but couldn’t overcome sloppy ball-handling that led to 28 NIU points off turnovers.
Offensive Struggles Define Early Season
Senior guard Jalen Forrest paced Chicago State with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting, but the Cougars’ leading scorer from last season struggled to create clean looks for teammates. Chicago State managed just 11 assists on 28 made field goals while turning the ball over at a 31.8% clip.
“We’ve got to take better care of the basketball,” Walton said after the loss. “You can’t give a team like Northern Illinois 28 extra points and expect to win on the road.”
Forward Isaiah Jones added 14 points and eight rebounds in his Chicago State debut after transferring from Division II Lewis University. The 6-foot-7 junior showed flashes of the interior presence the Cougars desperately need, but foul trouble limited him to 23 minutes.
Huskies Control Paint and Pace
Northern Illinois dominated the interior battle, outrebounding Chicago State 42-29 and scoring 46 points in the paint. Huskie forward Chinedu Kingsley Jr. posted 22 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 9-of-14 from the field.
The visitors never led after the 14:32 mark of the first half, when Jones’ three-pointer briefly put Chicago State ahead 15-14. NIU responded with a 12-2 run over the next four minutes and never trailed again.
Chicago State cut the deficit to single digits twice in the second half, including 58-51 with 12:47 remaining after consecutive baskets by sophomore guard Marcus Davis. But the Cougars managed just four field goals over the final eight minutes as Northern Illinois pulled away.
Roster Overhaul Shows Growing Pains
Monday’s performance highlighted the challenges facing a Chicago State program that returned just three scholarship players from last season’s 4-28 team. The Cougars added eight newcomers through the transfer portal and junior college ranks, including five players making their Division I debuts.
Freshman point guard Damon Williams, a Chicago native who starred at Simeon Career Academy, struggled in his first collegiate game with six turnovers against two assists in 28 minutes. The 6-foot-1 Williams was expected to provide stability at the position but looked overwhelmed by NIU’s pressure defense.
“It’s going to take time for our guys to gel,” Walton acknowledged. “We’ve got a lot of new faces trying to learn how to play together at this level.”
Conference Play Looms Large
Chicago State enters the season as the overwhelming favorite to finish last in the Western Athletic Conference after going 2-16 in league play last season. The Cougars have not posted a winning conference record since joining the WAC in 2013-14.
The program faces an uphill battle for respectability after losing leading scorer Jahsean Corbett to transfer and watching assistant coach Tony Stubblefield depart for a position at DePaul. Chicago State’s recruiting class ranked last in the WAC according to most preview publications.
Despite the early setback, Walton remains optimistic about his team’s potential as the season progresses. “We’ve got guys who can score and we showed some fight tonight,” he said. “Once we clean up the turnovers and get more comfortable with each other, we’ll be competitive.”
Chicago State returns home Friday night to face Chicago-based rival UIC in the annual crosstown matchup at Jones Convocation Center.
