Eastern Michigan Athletics
Saturday, February 22
DeKalb, Ill.
4:30 p.m. ET
Eastern Michigan University
14-13,7-7MAC
79
at
76
Northern Illinois
5-22,1-13MAC
1
2
F
Eastern Mich.
38
41
79
NIU
48
28
76
Terry Hits Buzzer-Beater as Eastern Earns Improbable Win at NIU
2/22/2025 7:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Eagles trailed by seven with 1:15 left, four with 19 seconds to go
Terry Buzzer-Beater Video with WEMU Audio | Extended Highlights.
DeKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – Jalen Terry hit a 35-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team overcame an 11-point second-half deficit, a seven-point deficit with 1:15 left, and a four-point deficit with 19 seconds to go to stun hot-shooting Northern Illinois University, 79-76, Saturday, Feb. 22, at the NIU Convocation Center.
DeKALB, Ill. (EMUEagles.com) – Jalen Terry hit a 35-foot buzzer-beating three-pointer as the Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team overcame an 11-point second-half deficit, a seven-point deficit with 1:15 left, and a four-point deficit with 19 seconds to go to stun hot-shooting Northern Illinois University, 79-76, Saturday, Feb. 22, at the NIU Convocation Center.
TERRY FOR THE WIN‼️‼️#EMUEagles | #DOMORE | #SCTOP10 pic.twitter.com/CYRhk97yik
— Eastern Michigan Men's Basketball (@EMU_MBB) February 22, 2025
Terry (Flint, Mich./Beecher/Oregon/DePaul) scored 28 points as the Eagles earned a crucial Mid-American Conference victory despite NIU converting a program-record 15 three-pointers.
How it Happened
Eastern built a 12-8 lead 4:07 into the contest before an 11-2 NIU run gave the Huskies a 23-17 advantage.
The Eagles battled back to tie the game at 25-25 after Dillon Tingler (Hurricane, W. Va./Huntington Expression Prep) put in a trio of free throws. NIU scored the game's next nine points, putting in a three-pointer just before the halftime buzzer to take a 48-38 lead into the intermission.
The Huskies shot a blistering 11-of-17 (64.3%) from three-point range in the first half.
Eastern quickly erased the halftime deficit, using an 11-0 run to tie the game at 49-49 just 3:57 into the half as Arne Osojnik (Ljubljana, Slovenia/Dream City Christian) drilled a three-pointer.
The Eagles earned their first lead of the half on a Terry triple with 12:09 to go but the Huskies responded with a 15-5 run to lead 70-61 at the 7:09 mark. EMU still trailed by nine after NIU put home its 15th three of the contest with 3:58 remaining.
Eastern closed the game on a 14-2 run to win as EMU trailed, 76-69, with 1:15 left and 76-72 with 19 seconds to go.
Terry made a left-handed driving lay-up with 15 seconds left to tie the game at 76-76 before the Eagles forced a turnover, getting the ball back with 3.0 seconds on the clock.
Terry launched from 35-feet, knocking down his sixth three of the game to secure the win.
Game Notes
» Eastern moved to 14-13 overall and 7-7 in the MAC while Northern Illinois moved to 5-22 overall and 1-13 in conference action.
» Eastern Michigan was 21-of-50 (42.0%) from the floor and 9-of-22 (40.9%) from three-point range while Northern Illinois was 25-of-55 (45.5%) from the field and 15-of-27 (55.6%) from deep.
» The 15 made three-pointers allowed is Eastern's most in a win since at least the 2008-09 season.
» With his 28 points, Terry has scored at least 24 points in each of the last four games. He has totaled 115 points in the last four contests, good for an average of 28.8 points per game.
» Terry has converted multiple three-pointers in each of the last six contests, making at least four in four of those games.
» Terry recorded six made three-pointers to go with his 28 points, marking his fourth game with at least 25 points and six made triples. His four such games are double any other EMU player in a single season since the 2002-03 season.
» Terry, the MAC leader in minutes at 37.2 minutes per game entering Saturday, played 38 minutes.
» Da'Sean Nelson (Toledo, Ohio/Robert S. Rogers/Kilgore College/DePaul) netted 19 points, marking his 21st game scoring at least 10 points and 49th game in his career doing so.
» Nelson recorded three blocks and has at least one block in 11 of the last 12 games. Nelson has 23 blocks during the 12-game stretch (2.1 per game) and multiple blocks in six of those games.
» Nelson was 11-of-15 from the free throw line, marking career highs in both categories.
» Christian Henry (Chicago, Ill./The Skill Factory/Panola College) posted 10 points and six assists, marking his 20th game in double figures this season.
» Jalin Billingsley (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran East/Georgetown) added nine points and eight rebounds, converting a career-high seven free throws.
» John Shanu II (Houston, Texas/Sam Houston/Old Dominion/UTRGV) logged three rebounds in his fifth-straight start.
» Eastern posted four blocks, marking 23-straight games with at least one block, the team's longest streak since blocking at least one shot in every game during the 2021-22 season.
» The Eagles had just seven turnovers, their second-lowest mark of the season. EMU had just six turnovers at Oakland, Nov. 21.
Historical Notes
» EMU moved to 48-59 against NIU, snapping a four-game losing streak at Northern Illinois.
» Eastern, which hit nine threes against Northern Illinois, has now hit at least one triple in 640-straight games. EMU last failed to score from downtown Jan. 24, 2004, when the RedHawks held the Eagles to 0-of-7 from behind the arc. The Eagles have converted multiple three-pointers in 62-straight contests, not having done so most recently in a 1-for-15 performance against Akron, Feb.14, 2023.
» With the win and after winning against Toledo, Feb. 15, and Miami, Feb. 18, EMU earned its second winning streak of three games in MAC play this season after the Eagles won at Bowling Green, Jan.18; home against Ohio, Jan. 21; and home against Buffalo, Jan. 25. Eastern last produced multiple three-game win streaks in MAC play during the same season in 2013-14.
» EMU is 7-7 in MAC play for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
» The Eagles have five roads wins for the first time since the 2017-18 season.
» Eastern was 28-of-36 from the free throw line. EMU's 36 attempts are its most since shooting 40 against Florida International, Dec. 11, 2021, over four overtimes. The 36 attempts are EMU's most in regulation since attempting 39 against Goshen, Nov. 12, 2019, and the most against a MAC team since shooting 47 against Buffalo, Jan. 12, 2016. Finally, Eastern's 36 shots from the charity stripe are its most in a road game since going 28-of-40 at NIU, Feb. 21, 2015.
Next Up
Eastern Michigan hosts Bowling Green State University Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 6:30 p.m. inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center. Click here to purchase tickets.
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, continue to visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
Team Stats
EMU
NIU
FG%
.420
.455
3FG%
.409
.556
FT%
.778
.647
RB
35
31
TO
7
11
STL
6
5
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
28
FGM
9
3FGM
6
FTM
4
Pts
19
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
11
Pts
10
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
9
FGM
1
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
C
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's BasketballBen Braun Video at MAC Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Friday, May 30
Ben Braun at MAC Hall of Fame Induction
Friday, May 30
Charles E. Ramsey - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30
Jack Brusewitz - MAC Hall of Fame Induction of Ben Braun
Friday, May 30