Eastern Michigan Athletics
Eastern Michigan University
9-7 (1-2MAC)
Northern Illinois
7-8 (3-0MAC)
EMU Drops Matinee Contest at NIU, 77-69
1/16/2010 4:46:04 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles fall to 1-2 in MAC play, while Huskies remain unbeaten
Box score.
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team could not overcome a second half surge by the Northern Illinois University Huskies Saturday afternoon, Jan. 16, at the NIU Convocation Center, as the Eagles fell victim to a 77-69 setback in a Mid-American Conference West Division tilt.
The loss drops EMU to 9-7 (1-2 MAC) this season, while NIU improves to 7-8 and remains unbeaten in MAC play at 3-0.
Senior guard Carlos Medlock (Detroit, Mich.-Murray Wright) scored a game-high 28 points on 7-for-16 shooting from the field and was stellar from the free throw line, shooting 14-for-14 from the charity stripe in the loss.
Redshirt junior forward Brandon Bowdry (St. Louis, Mo.-Taylor (Mich.) Truman) recorded his 10th double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 boards in the loss, while sophomore Quintin Dailey (Las Vegas, Nev.-Bishop Gorman (Sheridan (Wyo.) J.C.) tied a career-high with 10 points.
The Eagles took their first lead of the game with 14:44 remaining in the first half, as Medlock made three shots from the charity stripe to give EMU a 9-8 advantage. Medlock scored a team-best 11 points in the first half on 3-for-7 shooting from the field and 5-for-5 shooting from the free throw line.
A seesaw battle for the most of the opening frame kept the score within a basket for both squads, but NIU's Xavier Silas gave the Huskies momentum and their largest lead since the opening stages of the contest, as his three pointer plus a made free throw put the Eagles down, 36-31. Silas tallied a game-high 17 points in the first half on 6-for-10 shooting from the field (3-for-6 from beyond the arc). But sophomore guard Antonio Green (Inkster, Mich.-Robichaud) cut NIU's lead to two at the half, as his three-pointer in the final seconds made it a 36-34 game at intermission.
EMU shot 35.7 percent (10-for-28) from the field in the opening frame, including a 3-for-12 clip from long distance. The Huskies shot 41.9 percent (13-for-31) in the first 20 minutes, including a 4-for-14 performance from beyond the arc. The Huskies dominated the battle of the boards in the first half, out-rebounding EMU, 24-17, including an 8-4 edge on the offensive glass. Fouls plagued both teams in the opening frame, as a total of seven players went into the locker room with two or more fouls, including EMU's Justin Dobbins (Cleveland, Ohio-Glenville) and Jamell Harris (Euclid, Ohio-Euclid) and NIU's Darion “Jake” Anderson, who all acquired three fouls.
The Huskies came roaring out of the gates in the second half, as a 12-5 run capped off by a pair of Silas free throws, coupled with four Eastern Michigan turnovers, put the Eagles behind, 48-39. Silas increased NIU's lead to 15-points with 10:19 remaining, as his pair of free throws made it 59-44 game.
A Medlock layup made it a nine point game with 4:04 remaining in the game following an NIU turnover, but the Huskies managed to keep the Eagles at arm's length for the duration of the contest to secure the victory and hand EMU the loss.
Eastern Michigan is back on the road again Wednesday, Jan. 20, when the Eagles head to Mount Pleasant, Mich. for a MAC West tilt versus the Chippewas from Central Michigan University. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rose Arena. EMU's last trip to Rose Arena ended in dramatic fashion, as three makes from the free throw line by Green in the final seconds paved the way for a one-point victory, 57-56, for the Eagles.
