Derek Thompson's Career Night Falls Short vs. NIU

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YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) — Derek Thompson's career-high 31 point performance was not enough to earn the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team a win here Tuesday evening, Jan. 11, in a 71-69 Mid-American Conference West Division setback to Northern Illinois University. Thompson was a perfect 7-of-7 the line and 8-of-10 from behind the arc to tie a Convocation Center record for three-pointers made in a single game.

Thompson's eight triples tied the Convo mark held by EMU's Ricky Cottrill, Dec. 1, 2001 versus Tennessee Tech and Marshall's Ronald Blackshear, March 3, 2003, against Eastern.

After breaking out to a nine-point edge in the early going, the Eagles lost their only lead of the game when NIU took control with a 25-6 run to build a 13-point lead headed into halftime. The Eagles were able to chip away at the deficit in the second half with strong defense and free throw shooting but could not pull even as the Huskies provided just enough offense to keep a narrow advantage.

The Eagles (4-11; 1-1 MAC) were led offensively by Thompson with 31 points. Brandon Bowdry chipped-in with 16 points (4-of-13 and 6-10 on free throws) and seven boards. As a team, EMU rebounded from a poor opening-half effort from the field to finish 20-of-52 (38.5 percent) and 14-of-32 (43.8 percent) on three-point shooting. EMU was also strong from the free throw line with 15-of-20 (75 percent) converted shots.

The Huskies (5-9; 1-1 MAC) received a 31-point contribution from Xavier Silas, who went 11-of-14 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from behind the arc. Tim Toler (11 points) and Nate Rucker (10 points) also tallied double figures with Toller notching seven boards. NIU rode the heels of its offense throughout the game, shooting at a 61 percent (25-of-41) clip overall and 66.7 percent (10-of-15) from long distance. Free throws were hard to come by for the Huskies as they managed just 11-of-23 (47.8 percent) from the line.

The Eagles connected on five-of-seven three-point attempts to begin the game and found themselves ahead, 15-6, with 15:05 to play. Thompson and Bowdry each accounted for two long-range bombs, with Antonio Green contributing one.

With the Eagles in foul trouble, the Huskies struggled to find their stroke at the free throw line, shooting just 1-of-5 from the charity stripe through the opening 10 minutes. However, a 6-of-10 effort from the field during that same time frame kept NIU in the game but trailing, 17-14.

Following a hot start from three-point range, the Eagles came up empty in their next six attempts and managed just two points over a span of 7:42 until Green ended the drought with his second of the evening for a six-point EMU lead, 20-14.

The Huskies answered with a pair of threes from Silas to knot the score at 20 apiece with 6:20 remaining. Those baskets would prove to be the beginning of a 25-6 NIU run in which Silas exploded for 16 of his 19 first half points to send the visitors to the locker room with a comfortable 39-26 lead.

Silas ended the opening 20 minutes going a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-9 overall to lead all scorers. For the Eagles, Green (3-of-6), Thompson (2-of-4) and Bowdry (3-of-9) each tallied eight first half points. The Green and White (9-of-30; 30 percent) were drastically outpaced by the Huskies (15-of-23; 65.2 percent) from the field and managed just two points in the paint compared to 14 for NIU.

After Thompson opened the second half on a positive note for the Eagles with a three-pointer, the Huskies quickly continued where they left off in the first period with an 8-2 run to take a 47-31 lead. Thompson, Darrell Lampley and Jay Higgins responded with a much-needed barrage of successful three-pointers to claw back to within seven, 47-40, with 16 minutes to play.

With 12:31 remaining, Harris paved the way for an Adrian Burton lay-in with a timely block—his third of the game—to keep the Eagles within striking distance, 57-50. Nine NIU fouls through the first 10:22 further helped EMU remain in the game as a 7-of-9 effort from the line made the score 58-52 with 9:38 to play. Continuing his record-setting day was Thompson, who was a spotless 7-of-7 from the charity stripe.

Eastern Michigan found a way to tighten-up defensively through much of the second half, out-rebounding the Huskies 11-7 after 14 minutes. Harris continued his strong play under the basket, denying five NIU shots.

Meanwhile, Northern Illinois' free throw woes continued to the tune of 40 percent (6-of-15) as EMU trailed by just two, 62-60, with 5:50 to play after Bowdry sunk his fourth and fifth free throws of the evening.

The Eagles' offense was largely silenced until the final 20 seconds, when Thompson struck with his seventh three-ball of the day to keep a two-point NIU spread, 68-66. Thompson hit again from long distance as the buzzer sounded, but three subsequent NIU free throws put the game out of range for the Ealges, 71-69.

Head Coach Charles Ramsey's squad will now enjoy a four-day break before a Sunday, Jan. 16 matinee match with Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.

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Team Stats

Derek Thompson

Brandon Bowdry

Antonio Green

Darrell Lampley

Eastern Michigan Athletics