Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, March 1
Convocation Center
7 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
16-14, 8-9MAC
75
vs
71
Northern Illinois
19-11, 8-9MAC
1
2
F
Northern Illinois
45
26
71
Eastern Michigan
39
36
75
Photo by: Steve King/KingStudios
Second Half Rally Spurs Eagles to Victory Over Huskies, 75-71
3/1/2016 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Trailing by 15, Eastern held NIU to just two field goals in the final 14 minutes of play
Video Highlights.
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Following a furious rally after being down by as many as 15, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team came back to beat Northern Illinois University, 75-71, Tuesday, March 1 at the Convocation Center. The Eagles (16-14, 8-9 MAC) closed out the game very strong, holding NIU (19-11, 8-9 MAC) to just two field goals in the final 14 minutes of the Mid-American Conference West Division battle. With the win, the Green and White currently hold the No. 8 seed if the MAC Tournament were to begin today.
Leading the Eagles was sophomore Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College High School) with a stacked stat line of 17 points, six rebounds, four steals and a block. Additionally, freshman James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) had a solid game, posting his 17th double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. Finally, junior Willie Mangum IV (Richmond, Va.-Marshall (San Jacinto College)) knocked down four triples, finishing with 14 points. Redshirt junior Jodan Price (Indianapolis, Ind.-Detroit Country Day (DePaul)) proved to be an asset down the stretch in the second half. Price entered the game following an NIU layup which gave the Huskies a 15-point lead at the 14:08 mark. From that point on, Northern Illinois was able to convert just two field goals throughout the remainder of the game. Eastern finished 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) from the floor, also knocking down 22 free throws. The Eagles out-rebounded the Huskies, 36-31, and held a huge 14-7 advantage on the offensive boards as well. The defense came up big in the second half, ultimately forcing Northern into 21 turnovers, eight of which were EMU steals.
The Eagles got off to a hot start on a pair of back-to-back three-point shots from Mangum, giving the team a quick 6-0 lead. After a Huskie basket, Mangum dribbled back down the floor, knocking down a tough layup in traffic. Thompson then got on the board, bullying his way to a hook shot in the paint before Bond then swiped an NIU pass, throwing it down on the other end to put EMU ahead 14-6 at the first media timeout. A pair of buckets from the Huskies decreased the lead to four, until Thompson took control down low and converted a three-point play. At the 12-minute mark, the Green and White led by six, 17-11, after which Mangum drilled his third three of the game. A three and a free throw from the Huskies made the score 20-16, but Mangum continued his trend and sunk his fourth three of the game.
Down low, Thompson kept rolling, sinking another hook shot to put him at seven on the night. He followed that up with a nice put-back, increasing the EMU lead to 27-19 at the 8:39 mark. Senior Brandon Nazione (Howell, Mich.-Howell) then sunk his first shot, with the score sitting at 31-24 with 6:30 to go in the half. However, the Huskies continued shooting well from downtown, dropping their fourth three of the game to put the score at 31-27. Bond swiped another Huskie pass and converted the turnover into two points on a pair of free throws. Nearing the final three minutes of the first half, Eastern held a slim 35-33 lead. Sophomore Ethan Alvano (Corona, Calif.-Corona) gave the Green and White a four-point cushion, 37-33, on a pair from the line. However, the Huskies tied it up at 37 with 2:30 to go, after which they drained another three for a 40-37 lead. Redshirt junior Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich.-Romulus) sunk a free throw to bring it back within two, but NIU put it back at three on the other end. As the teams traveled to the locker room, NIU led 45-39.
The Huskies picked up where they left off, scoring the first points of the second half. Nazione answered with two points from the line and then a layup, but NIU still led, 51-43. The senior kept shouldering the offensive load early in the second half, knocking down another pair from the charity stripe. At the first media timeout, the Huskies led by 10, 55-45. The lead ballooned to 13, 58-45, as the Eagle offense struggled to find a rhythm within the first six minutes. Thompson got the Green and White back on track with a nice pull-up jumper, and Bond followed up with an acrobatic layup, forcing the Huskies to take a timeout. The Green and White pulled within nine on two more free throws from Thompson, and Bond followed again with a put-back layup to bring the score within seven.
A quick transition sequence led to a Bond dunk, and Eastern trailed by just five at the 9:30 mark. After a free throw from the Huskies, redshirt freshman Jordan Nobles (Canton, Mich.-Canton) put back a missed layup to make the score 61-57. Bond kept the momentum going to bring the Eagles within two on a nice layup. After a Huskie free throw, Nobles picked up a missed shot and laid it back in to put the score at 62-61 in favor of NIU. The lead extended back to three, 64-61, with 3:40 left in the game. Nobles then nailed a key pair of free throws to make it a one-point game with 3:30 to play. After a miss on the other end, junior Ty Toney (Alpharetta, Ga.-Alpharetta (Georgia Highlands College)) sunk a tough layup to retake the lead, 65-64, at the 2:48 mark. The Huskies quickly responded with two more free throws on the other end to retake the lead. Nazione followed with a clutch free throw to tie the game with less than two minutes to play. Toney kept it going with a pull-up jumper, taking a two-point lead, 68-66, with just 1:13 to go. The Huskies tied it up again at 68, but NIU sent Toney to the line, where he drained both to take the two-point lead. Like before, however, the Huskies quickly tied it back up, giving the Eagles one last opportunity. Bond then nailed a huge three to take a three-point lead with just 3.4 on the clock. EMU fouled to prevent a three-point attempt, sending the Huskies to the line. NIU sunk the first one and intentionally missed the second one. The Eagles came up with the ball, and Lee sealed the deal with a pair at the line to give Eastern the 75-51 victory.
The Eagles have just one more regular season game this season before the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Green and White will make the trek south to Toledo, Ohio for a bout with the University of Toledo Rockets, Friday, March 4. Tip-off from Savage Arena is set for 7 p.m. and will decide who will host a first round home game Monday, March 7.
Photo Gallery
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Following a furious rally after being down by as many as 15, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team came back to beat Northern Illinois University, 75-71, Tuesday, March 1 at the Convocation Center. The Eagles (16-14, 8-9 MAC) closed out the game very strong, holding NIU (19-11, 8-9 MAC) to just two field goals in the final 14 minutes of the Mid-American Conference West Division battle. With the win, the Green and White currently hold the No. 8 seed if the MAC Tournament were to begin today.
Leading the Eagles was sophomore Tim Bond (Baltimore, Md.-City College High School) with a stacked stat line of 17 points, six rebounds, four steals and a block. Additionally, freshman James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) had a solid game, posting his 17th double-double of the year with 16 points and 13 rebounds, seven of which came on the offensive end. Finally, junior Willie Mangum IV (Richmond, Va.-Marshall (San Jacinto College)) knocked down four triples, finishing with 14 points. Redshirt junior Jodan Price (Indianapolis, Ind.-Detroit Country Day (DePaul)) proved to be an asset down the stretch in the second half. Price entered the game following an NIU layup which gave the Huskies a 15-point lead at the 14:08 mark. From that point on, Northern Illinois was able to convert just two field goals throughout the remainder of the game. Eastern finished 24-of-56 (42.9 percent) from the floor, also knocking down 22 free throws. The Eagles out-rebounded the Huskies, 36-31, and held a huge 14-7 advantage on the offensive boards as well. The defense came up big in the second half, ultimately forcing Northern into 21 turnovers, eight of which were EMU steals.
The Eagles got off to a hot start on a pair of back-to-back three-point shots from Mangum, giving the team a quick 6-0 lead. After a Huskie basket, Mangum dribbled back down the floor, knocking down a tough layup in traffic. Thompson then got on the board, bullying his way to a hook shot in the paint before Bond then swiped an NIU pass, throwing it down on the other end to put EMU ahead 14-6 at the first media timeout. A pair of buckets from the Huskies decreased the lead to four, until Thompson took control down low and converted a three-point play. At the 12-minute mark, the Green and White led by six, 17-11, after which Mangum drilled his third three of the game. A three and a free throw from the Huskies made the score 20-16, but Mangum continued his trend and sunk his fourth three of the game.
Down low, Thompson kept rolling, sinking another hook shot to put him at seven on the night. He followed that up with a nice put-back, increasing the EMU lead to 27-19 at the 8:39 mark. Senior Brandon Nazione (Howell, Mich.-Howell) then sunk his first shot, with the score sitting at 31-24 with 6:30 to go in the half. However, the Huskies continued shooting well from downtown, dropping their fourth three of the game to put the score at 31-27. Bond swiped another Huskie pass and converted the turnover into two points on a pair of free throws. Nearing the final three minutes of the first half, Eastern held a slim 35-33 lead. Sophomore Ethan Alvano (Corona, Calif.-Corona) gave the Green and White a four-point cushion, 37-33, on a pair from the line. However, the Huskies tied it up at 37 with 2:30 to go, after which they drained another three for a 40-37 lead. Redshirt junior Raven Lee (Detroit, Mich.-Romulus) sunk a free throw to bring it back within two, but NIU put it back at three on the other end. As the teams traveled to the locker room, NIU led 45-39.
The Huskies picked up where they left off, scoring the first points of the second half. Nazione answered with two points from the line and then a layup, but NIU still led, 51-43. The senior kept shouldering the offensive load early in the second half, knocking down another pair from the charity stripe. At the first media timeout, the Huskies led by 10, 55-45. The lead ballooned to 13, 58-45, as the Eagle offense struggled to find a rhythm within the first six minutes. Thompson got the Green and White back on track with a nice pull-up jumper, and Bond followed up with an acrobatic layup, forcing the Huskies to take a timeout. The Green and White pulled within nine on two more free throws from Thompson, and Bond followed again with a put-back layup to bring the score within seven.
A quick transition sequence led to a Bond dunk, and Eastern trailed by just five at the 9:30 mark. After a free throw from the Huskies, redshirt freshman Jordan Nobles (Canton, Mich.-Canton) put back a missed layup to make the score 61-57. Bond kept the momentum going to bring the Eagles within two on a nice layup. After a Huskie free throw, Nobles picked up a missed shot and laid it back in to put the score at 62-61 in favor of NIU. The lead extended back to three, 64-61, with 3:40 left in the game. Nobles then nailed a key pair of free throws to make it a one-point game with 3:30 to play. After a miss on the other end, junior Ty Toney (Alpharetta, Ga.-Alpharetta (Georgia Highlands College)) sunk a tough layup to retake the lead, 65-64, at the 2:48 mark. The Huskies quickly responded with two more free throws on the other end to retake the lead. Nazione followed with a clutch free throw to tie the game with less than two minutes to play. Toney kept it going with a pull-up jumper, taking a two-point lead, 68-66, with just 1:13 to go. The Huskies tied it up again at 68, but NIU sent Toney to the line, where he drained both to take the two-point lead. Like before, however, the Huskies quickly tied it back up, giving the Eagles one last opportunity. Bond then nailed a huge three to take a three-point lead with just 3.4 on the clock. EMU fouled to prevent a three-point attempt, sending the Huskies to the line. NIU sunk the first one and intentionally missed the second one. The Eagles came up with the ball, and Lee sealed the deal with a pair at the line to give Eastern the 75-51 victory.
The Eagles have just one more regular season game this season before the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Green and White will make the trek south to Toledo, Ohio for a bout with the University of Toledo Rockets, Friday, March 4. Tip-off from Savage Arena is set for 7 p.m. and will decide who will host a first round home game Monday, March 7.
Team Stats
NIU
EMU
FG%
.489
.429
3FG%
.417
.278
FT%
.714
.710
RB
31
36
TO
21
16
STL
7
8
Game Leaders
Pts
16
FGM
6
3FGM
0
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
5
3FGM
4
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
/ Men's BasketballC
/ Men's Basketball
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