Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
Northern Illinois
Men's Hoops Falls to Northern Illinois
1/29/2006 4:56:26 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles Fail to Hold Early Lead in Latest MAC Loss
Box score.
YPSILANTI, Mich.— The Eastern Michigan University men’s basketball team could not hold onto a second half lead as they fell to Northern Illinois, 67-55, here Sunday afternoon in the Convocation Center in Mid-American Conference action. With the loss, EMU falls to 3-14 (0-8 MAC) while the Huskies improve to 11-7 and a MAC-West leading 6-4 league mark.
The Eagles were led once again by John Bowler (Chicago, Ill.-Notre Dame) who posted a game-high 17 points. Danny McElhinny (Hernitage, Pa.-Kennedy Catholic) also added 13 points off the bench, connecting on three-of-five three point attempts. NIU was led by James Hughes who tallied 14 points.
NIU used hot shooting to put the Eagles on ice. The Huskies shot 50 percent from the floor, connecting on 25-of-50 shots, including a blistering 59.1 percent in the second half. While, EMU shot 38.9 percent from the field. Eastern had seven second half turnovers and connected on just one-of-seven second half three point tries, which saw its five point second half advantage turn into a 12 point deficit.
"We knew coming into this game that it would be a difficult, hard-fought game for 40 minutes," NIU Head Coach Rob Judson said. "I thought our defense carried the way."
EMU led 45-42 off a Bowler lay-up with 11:19 remaining, but the Huskies used a 15-4 run to extend their lead to eight, 57-49. EMU closed the gap to four with 4:47 to go, after back-to-back McElhinny free throws. However, an 8-0 NIU run put the game out off reach, 65-53, with just over a minute left in the game.
"This is a learning experience for us," EMU Head Coach Charles E. Ramsey said. "For 35 minutes of that game we were pretty darn good and then we had the breakdowns. The last five minutes of the game, which we call winning time, you just can’t have breakdowns." The Eagles were outscored 10-3 over the game’s final five minutes.
Crisp shooting was the story of the first half, as each team shot over 40 percent from the field. The Eagles jumped out to a 12-4 lead after McElhinny connected on a three-point try, forcing the Huskies to take a time-out with 13:24 remaining. Northern Illinois responded with a 9-0 run to take a 13-12 advantage, its first lead of the game. The teams battled back-and-forth over the final 10 minutes which saw three more lead changes and three ties. A McElhinny three gave EMU a 32-29 lead going into the lockerroom at the intermission. Bowler led all scorers in the first half with 11 while Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) added seven. The Huskies were led by Todd Peterson with 9.
The Eagles take back to the floor Wednesday, Feb. 1, when they welcome Central Michigan to the Convocation Center. Tip-off for the MAC showdown is scheduled for 7 p.m.
