Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, January 9
DeKalb, Ill.
7:30 p.m. CT
Eastern Michigan University
63
at
80
Northern Illinois
James Thompson IV Tied a NCAA Consecutive Makes Record in the Setback
1/10/2016 12:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Green and White Drop a Road Contest, 80-63, at NIU
DEKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – In its second consecutive game on the road, the Eastern Michigan University basketball team dropped a road contest, 80-63, against Northern Illinois University, Jan. 9. Freshman James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La. – Parkview Baptist) paced the Eagles, posting 23 points and eight rebounds while tying the NCAA record for consecutive made field goals.
Thompson managed to convert his 26th straight field goal, tying Torian Oglesby, who set the record in 2012 over the course of seven games at Bowling Green. The Baton Rouge, La. native finished the game 8-of-9 from the field, just missing setting a new record. Redshirt junior Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich. – Romulus) was the only other Eagle in double digits, as he posted 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Senior Brandon Nazione (Howell, Mich. – Howell) was disruptive on the defensive end, forcing five steals.
Although the Eagles shot at a 44.2 percent clip, they only managed to get off 43 shots in total, compared to 56 from NIU. They were, however, solid from the free throw line, converting 20-of-26 attempts. The Eagles defense forced NIU into a season high 18 turnovers on the night, 13 of which were steals by the Green and White.
NIU gained an early lead before Thompson converted a layup and was fouled in the process. After sinking the free throw, the Huskies came up empty on the other end and Price drained a jumper to give EMU the early 5-2 lead. The two teams traded baskets, with EMU holding the lead, 13-12, with 13:52 to go. Thompson quickly reached double figures in scoring, as he had 11 points with 13:18 remaining in the first half.
The Huskies opened a 28-21 lead before Nazione sank three from the line to bring EMU within four, and a transition bucket from Lee made the score 31-27 in favor of NIU. Following the two teams going back and forth, junior Willie Mangum (Richmond, Va. – Marshall) drained a three to make the score 35-30 with 1:35 to go. Eastern could not muster any more offense in the half, as the Huskies went into the locker room with a 40-30 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, Thompson missed two free throws, but Lee was there to scoop up the board. Junior Ty Toney (Alpharetta, Ga. – Alpharetta) then began a streak in which three Eagles made consecutive threes, including Toney, sophomore Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md. – City College High School), and then Lee. Following the barrage from downtown, EMU reduced the NIU lead to four. Thompson was then sent to the line on back-to-back possessions, and he knocked down all four from the charity stripe to pull the Green and White within two.
A steal by Nazione led to a Lee layup on the other end, tying the game at 47 apiece. Lee then followed that up by knocking down two free throws to give EMU the 49-47 lead. From there, however, the Huskies offense roared back and took the lead. A Nazione three cut into their lead, but with 6:50 left, Northern led 61-52. EMU had a chance to mount a late comeback after coming within seven at the four-minute mark, but the offense couldn't get anything going down the stretch. NIU ran out the clock and the Eagles fell by a final score of 80-63.
The Green and White continue their season at home with a home game against Buffalo, Jan. 12. The Tuesday matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
Thompson managed to convert his 26th straight field goal, tying Torian Oglesby, who set the record in 2012 over the course of seven games at Bowling Green. The Baton Rouge, La. native finished the game 8-of-9 from the field, just missing setting a new record. Redshirt junior Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich. – Romulus) was the only other Eagle in double digits, as he posted 13 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Senior Brandon Nazione (Howell, Mich. – Howell) was disruptive on the defensive end, forcing five steals.
Although the Eagles shot at a 44.2 percent clip, they only managed to get off 43 shots in total, compared to 56 from NIU. They were, however, solid from the free throw line, converting 20-of-26 attempts. The Eagles defense forced NIU into a season high 18 turnovers on the night, 13 of which were steals by the Green and White.
NIU gained an early lead before Thompson converted a layup and was fouled in the process. After sinking the free throw, the Huskies came up empty on the other end and Price drained a jumper to give EMU the early 5-2 lead. The two teams traded baskets, with EMU holding the lead, 13-12, with 13:52 to go. Thompson quickly reached double figures in scoring, as he had 11 points with 13:18 remaining in the first half.
The Huskies opened a 28-21 lead before Nazione sank three from the line to bring EMU within four, and a transition bucket from Lee made the score 31-27 in favor of NIU. Following the two teams going back and forth, junior Willie Mangum (Richmond, Va. – Marshall) drained a three to make the score 35-30 with 1:35 to go. Eastern could not muster any more offense in the half, as the Huskies went into the locker room with a 40-30 halftime lead.
Coming out of the break, Thompson missed two free throws, but Lee was there to scoop up the board. Junior Ty Toney (Alpharetta, Ga. – Alpharetta) then began a streak in which three Eagles made consecutive threes, including Toney, sophomore Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md. – City College High School), and then Lee. Following the barrage from downtown, EMU reduced the NIU lead to four. Thompson was then sent to the line on back-to-back possessions, and he knocked down all four from the charity stripe to pull the Green and White within two.
A steal by Nazione led to a Lee layup on the other end, tying the game at 47 apiece. Lee then followed that up by knocking down two free throws to give EMU the 49-47 lead. From there, however, the Huskies offense roared back and took the lead. A Nazione three cut into their lead, but with 6:50 left, Northern led 61-52. EMU had a chance to mount a late comeback after coming within seven at the four-minute mark, but the offense couldn't get anything going down the stretch. NIU ran out the clock and the Eagles fell by a final score of 80-63.
The Green and White continue their season at home with a home game against Buffalo, Jan. 12. The Tuesday matchup is slated to begin at 7 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
Players Mentioned
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