Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 9
Convocation Center
2 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
10-13 (4-6MAC)
57
vs
49
Northern Illinois
12-12 (5-6MAC)
1
2
F
Northern Illinois
27
22
49
Eastern Michigan
24
33
57
Photo by: Richard Palaikis II
Men’s Basketball Outlasts Northern Illinois, 57-49
2/9/2019 5:39:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Jackson scores 20 second-half points as Eagles fends off Huskies
PRESS CONFERENCE
HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Knotted at 45 with fewer than four minutes remaining in regulation, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team closed out the contest with a 12-4 run to secure a hard-fought 57-49 victory over Northern Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 9, inside the Convocation Center.
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) split a pair of free throws to put the Eagles (10-13, 4-6 MAC) back in front for good, before redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky) added a layup on EMU's next possession to build a 48-45 edge with 3:07 left in the second. NIU (12-12, 5-6 MAC) added a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one, but Jackson responded with a three-point play to stretch the lead to 51-47 with 2:44 on the clock.
The Huskies knocked down a jumper to once again make it a one-possession game, but Jackson added another layup to restore EMU's four-point cushion with 2:03 to go in the final frame. After Jackson set up senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) on an alley-oop in the final minute of regulation, the Green and White used free throws the rest of the way to snap a two-game skid.
Head coach Rob Murphy has won all 10 regular season meetings against NIU within the friendly confines of the Convocation Center. In all, EMU has won 15 of its last 16 regular season home tilts against the Huskies dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.
Jackson scored 20 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half, while pacing the Green and White with eight assists and three steals. Fellow redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) notched 11 points, three blocks, and two swipes, while redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) marked his first career start with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting.
The Eagles finished 43.2 percent (19-of-44) from the floor, as the Huskies ended the afternoon at a 34.7 percent clip and shot a woeful 1-of-13 from downtown. EMU out-blocked NIU, 9-2, and overmatched the visitors in assists (9-8), steals (8-5), and fast-break points (8-4).
EMU relied exclusively on the long ball in the early stages, as Minnie opened the scoring from beyond the arc before Silver added a pair of triples to give the Eagles a 9-5 lead with 16:31 left in the opening half. NIU bounced back to level the score at nine apiece, but redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) drained a corner three to put the Green and White back in front, 12-9, with 14:40 to go in the first period.
Trailing 13-12, the Eagles replied with a 9-0 run to build their largest lead of the contest, 21-13, with 8:40 to go in the opening stanza. Silver knocked down a corner three of his own and set up Minnie on an alley-oop to cap the run, prompting NIU to burn a timeout.
The Green and White trailed 27-24 coming out of the break, but opened the second half with an 8-2 run to grab a 32-29 lead with 16:47 left in the frame. NIU's foul trouble gave EMU more opportunities at the charity stripe, allowing the Eagles to open up a 39-34 advantage with 9:42 to go in the second. However, the Huskies repeatedly played catch-up as the contest headed into its final media stoppage.
Eastern Michigan looks to make it two-straight as it hits the road and travels to Athens, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 12 for a 7 p.m. tip against Ohio University.
HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO GALLERY
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – Knotted at 45 with fewer than four minutes remaining in regulation, the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team closed out the contest with a 12-4 run to secure a hard-fought 57-49 victory over Northern Illinois University Saturday, Feb. 9, inside the Convocation Center.
Redshirt junior Boubacar Toure (Dakar, Senegal-Phase One Academy (Grand Canyon)) split a pair of free throws to put the Eagles (10-13, 4-6 MAC) back in front for good, before redshirt senior Paul Jackson (Stone Mountain, Ga.-Martin Luther King Jr. (Eastern Kentucky) added a layup on EMU's next possession to build a 48-45 edge with 3:07 left in the second. NIU (12-12, 5-6 MAC) added a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to one, but Jackson responded with a three-point play to stretch the lead to 51-47 with 2:44 on the clock.
The Huskies knocked down a jumper to once again make it a one-possession game, but Jackson added another layup to restore EMU's four-point cushion with 2:03 to go in the final frame. After Jackson set up senior James Thompson IV (Baton Rouge, La.-Parkview Baptist) on an alley-oop in the final minute of regulation, the Green and White used free throws the rest of the way to snap a two-game skid.
Head coach Rob Murphy has won all 10 regular season meetings against NIU within the friendly confines of the Convocation Center. In all, EMU has won 15 of its last 16 regular season home tilts against the Huskies dating back to the 2006-07 campaign.
Jackson scored 20 of his team-leading 23 points in the second half, while pacing the Green and White with eight assists and three steals. Fellow redshirt senior Elijah Minnie (Pittsburgh, Pa.-Lincoln Park (Robert Morris)) notched 11 points, three blocks, and two swipes, while redshirt freshman Tariq Silver (Clarksville, Tenn.-Northwest) marked his first career start with nine points on 3-of-4 shooting.
The Eagles finished 43.2 percent (19-of-44) from the floor, as the Huskies ended the afternoon at a 34.7 percent clip and shot a woeful 1-of-13 from downtown. EMU out-blocked NIU, 9-2, and overmatched the visitors in assists (9-8), steals (8-5), and fast-break points (8-4).
EMU relied exclusively on the long ball in the early stages, as Minnie opened the scoring from beyond the arc before Silver added a pair of triples to give the Eagles a 9-5 lead with 16:31 left in the opening half. NIU bounced back to level the score at nine apiece, but redshirt sophomore Ty Groce (Ypsilanti, Mich.-Lincoln) drained a corner three to put the Green and White back in front, 12-9, with 14:40 to go in the first period.
Trailing 13-12, the Eagles replied with a 9-0 run to build their largest lead of the contest, 21-13, with 8:40 to go in the opening stanza. Silver knocked down a corner three of his own and set up Minnie on an alley-oop to cap the run, prompting NIU to burn a timeout.
The Green and White trailed 27-24 coming out of the break, but opened the second half with an 8-2 run to grab a 32-29 lead with 16:47 left in the frame. NIU's foul trouble gave EMU more opportunities at the charity stripe, allowing the Eagles to open up a 39-34 advantage with 9:42 to go in the second. However, the Huskies repeatedly played catch-up as the contest headed into its final media stoppage.
Eastern Michigan looks to make it two-straight as it hits the road and travels to Athens, Ohio, Tuesday, Feb. 12 for a 7 p.m. tip against Ohio University.
Team Stats
NIU
EMU
FG%
.347
.432
3FG%
.077
.273
FT%
.700
.520
RB
35
32
TO
17
14
STL
5
8
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
3
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
6
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
2
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballG/F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F/C
/ Men's BasketballC
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