With no returning players from last year’s roster, obviously newcomers were going to have an impact in NIU’s season opener against Louisiana-Monroe at the NIU Convocation Center on Monday.

The Huskies got a double-double from 6-11 true freshman post Gustav Winther, a 10-assist, zero-turnover game from Gianni Cobb and an efficiency clinic from Jao Ituka off the bench in a 102-82 win over the Warhawks.

“I got a great group of guys behind me,” said Cobb, who had nine assists without a turnover in the Huskies’ exhibition win against Quincy last week. “I trust all of my teammates. I know they’re going to make shots and they’re going to find me when I’m open. I just have to be out there, be vocal, be a true point guard, be a floor general and keep working so we can go far in this.”

The Huskies topped the 100-point mark against an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time since putting up 106 against Chicago State in 1996.

Cobb, a sophomore transfer from Columbia who helped Homewood-Flossmoor win the 2024 Class 4A state championship, recorded the 10th double-digit assist game for the Huskies since 2006 and the first without a turnover.

NIU coach Rashon Burno said Cobb is a high-IQ player with game-changing speed, making him difficult to stop.

“Now it’s just a matter of if he can make the proper reads if necessary,” Burno said. “He’s been really good at keeping himself out of harm’s way. As a small guard you can’t get amongst the trees and leave your feet and that’s something we’ve been working on with him.”

Ituka played for Jacksonville State last season and averaged 8.7 points and shot over 35% in 36 games, two starts. As a true freshman for Wake Forest in 2021-22, he averaged 15.3 points per game and shot 41% from long range in 28 games, 16 starts.

He played only six games the following year and missed all of the 2023-24 season.

In his debut for the Huskies (1-0), Ituka was 4 for 8 from long range and scored 19 points in 19 minutes.

“It felt amazing to help impact winning like that,” Ituka said. “I went out there and did my job, the job my coaches trusted me to do. I just wanted to be a service to the team. Be a good teammate, be a good leader, play a supporting role to help us continue to win games.

Winther, from Roskilde, Denmark, and wearing No. 96, was 8 for 10 from the floor, scored 18 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots.

The Huskies trailed 15-4 early but scored 26 of the next 30 points to take a 30-19 lead. Winther scored the last four points of the run.

“I think this shows we can really compete,” Winther said. “We have a lot of guys who play tough and hard. We’re never going to bow for anybody. We go hard every time we’re out on the floor.”

Makhai Valentine scored 16 for the Huskies and grabbed eight rebounds. NIU finished with a 44-18 edge on the glass and a 23-13 edge in assists.

After a combined 17-45 record the past two years, including 6-25 last season, Burno said the Huskies needed to take a step forward.

“I wanted to go out and get a clean slate of guys who got a chip on their shoulders,” Burno said. “The last two years have been a huge disappointment from the win total. Coming in with a clean slate and hungry guys that don’t know what last year’s team went through.”

No Huskie topped 30 minutes of playing time. Burno said that’s by design due to the tempo the Huskies want to play. He said he’s not going to be reactionary when it comes to his lineup and stay the course. He said he feels like 15 players can all see the court. And on Monday the Huskies were playing without freshman scoring threat Dylan Ducomun.

The Huskies play at Wisconsin on Friday.

“You stay the course,” Burno said. “Minutes are earned. What’s going to happen to the guy who is in front of him? He’s going to be on heightened alert, raise his level of awareness that he’s got to have a good day because you know this guy’s playing well.