Eastern Michigan Athletics
Tuesday, January 13
Ypsilanti, Mich.
6:30 p.m.
Eastern Michigan University
9-9,3-3MAC
77
vs
59
Northern Illinois
5-11,1-4MAC
1
2
F
NIU
26
33
59
Eastern Mich.
28
49
77
Photo by: Steven King/Steve King Studios
Eastern Tops NIU, 77-59, Behind Strong Second-Half Showing
1/13/2026 9:44:00 PM | Men's Basketball
EMU outscored NIU, 49-33, in second half
Photo Gallery | Cinematic Highlights | Postgame Interview
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team topped Northern Illinois University, 77-59, Tuesday, Jan. 13, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center after EMU outscored NIU, 49-33, in the second half to earn its third Mid-American Conference win of the season.
Eastern got numerous standout performances, highlighted by a career-high 13 points from Gregory Lawson II (Saginaw, Mich./Oak Cliff Academy) in 14 minutes.
Addison Patterson (Mississauga, Ontario/Bella Vista College Prep/Northwestern State) netted 20 points to go with five rebounds while Mohammad Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn/Central Michigan) produced 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)) added eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in a game that NIU led for more than 17 minutes, despite the 18-point win for EMU.
How It Happened
Eastern started slowly as NIU scored the first five points. The Eagles quickly responded with a 6-0 spurt.
The teams traded leads throughout the first half before NIU built an advantage as large as 26-21.
Eastern closed the half by scoring the final seven points of the period to lead, 28-26, at halftime.
After NIU netted the first five points of the second half, EMU launched a 15-3 run to take a commanding 43-34 lead.
The Huskies cut Eastern's lead to 43-41, the Eagles used a 13-3 run to boost their advantage to 56-44 with 6:52 left.
Eastern continued to apply pressure in the closing minutes as Patterson netted 10 points in the final 3:51 as Mehki Ellison (Flint, Mich./Carman Ainsworth/Stetson) scored the game's final points, giving EMU its largest lead of the game at 77-59.
Game Notes
» Eastern moves to 9-9 overall and 3-3 in the MAC while Northern Illinois improves to 5-11 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
» Eastern was 30-of-61 (49.2%) from the field and 5-of-18 (27.8%) from the three-point line, while NIU was 21-of-59 (35.6%) from the floor and 6-of-25 (24.0%) from three-point range.
» Eastern had out-shot its opponent from three-point range for the 11th time in 12 games.
» Mohammad Habhab scored 15 points, his team-high 13th game with at least 10 points.
» With Mohammad Habhab's 15 points and 10 rebounds, he recorded his sixth double-double of the season and first since Nov. 24 at No. 6 Louisville.
» Mohammad Habhab's two blocks represent his fourth game with multiple blocks this season.
» With Mohammad Habhab's six assists, Habhab has five-straight games with at least three assists. He has 10 games with at least three dimes this season and three games with at least six.
» Addison Patterson scored 20 points, his sixth-straight game with at least 12 points. Patterson has 13 games with at least 10 points this season with nine of those coming in the last 10 games. Patterson scored 20+ points for the second time this season with the other being a 23-point outing against IU Indy, Nov. 14.
» Gregory Lawson's 13 points topped his career high of six points, most recently achieved at Purdue Fort Wayne, Dec. 10.
» Gregory Lawson was 3-for-4 from three-point range, marking the second time in his career he has made multiple threes in one game. Lawson made two triples at Purdue Fort Wayne, Dec. 10.
» Godslove Nwabude tallied three blocks. He has at least one block in five-straight games and multiple blocks in six games this season.
» Aidan Rubio (Flint, Mich./Goodrich/UNC-Asheville) scored eight points, helped by a pair of three-pointers. Rubio, who was 2-for-4 from three-point range, has three games with multiple threes this season.
» Aidan Rubio had two blocks. He came into the game with zero blocks this season.
Historical Notes
» Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 60-48. Tuesday's game marked the final time the teams will meet in the regular as MAC foes.
» Eastern has won three-straight meetings over NIU for the first time since 2018-19.
Up Next
» Eastern travels to Bowling Green State University for a Saturday game, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. The game is on ESPN+ and will be held in Bowling Green, Ohio, inside the Stroh Center.
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
YPSILANTI, Mich. (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University men's basketball team topped Northern Illinois University, 77-59, Tuesday, Jan. 13, inside the George Gervin GameAbove Center after EMU outscored NIU, 49-33, in the second half to earn its third Mid-American Conference win of the season.
Eastern got numerous standout performances, highlighted by a career-high 13 points from Gregory Lawson II (Saginaw, Mich./Oak Cliff Academy) in 14 minutes.
Addison Patterson (Mississauga, Ontario/Bella Vista College Prep/Northwestern State) netted 20 points to go with five rebounds while Mohammad Habhab (Dearborn, Mich./Dearborn/Central Michigan) produced 15 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and two blocks.
Godslove Nwabude (Anambra State, Nigeria/Mt. Zion Prep (Md.)) added eight points, seven rebounds, and three blocks in a game that NIU led for more than 17 minutes, despite the 18-point win for EMU.
How It Happened
Eastern started slowly as NIU scored the first five points. The Eagles quickly responded with a 6-0 spurt.
The teams traded leads throughout the first half before NIU built an advantage as large as 26-21.
Eastern closed the half by scoring the final seven points of the period to lead, 28-26, at halftime.
After NIU netted the first five points of the second half, EMU launched a 15-3 run to take a commanding 43-34 lead.
The Huskies cut Eastern's lead to 43-41, the Eagles used a 13-3 run to boost their advantage to 56-44 with 6:52 left.
Eastern continued to apply pressure in the closing minutes as Patterson netted 10 points in the final 3:51 as Mehki Ellison (Flint, Mich./Carman Ainsworth/Stetson) scored the game's final points, giving EMU its largest lead of the game at 77-59.
Game Notes
» Eastern moves to 9-9 overall and 3-3 in the MAC while Northern Illinois improves to 5-11 overall and 1-4 in conference play.
» Eastern was 30-of-61 (49.2%) from the field and 5-of-18 (27.8%) from the three-point line, while NIU was 21-of-59 (35.6%) from the floor and 6-of-25 (24.0%) from three-point range.
» Eastern had out-shot its opponent from three-point range for the 11th time in 12 games.
» Mohammad Habhab scored 15 points, his team-high 13th game with at least 10 points.
» With Mohammad Habhab's 15 points and 10 rebounds, he recorded his sixth double-double of the season and first since Nov. 24 at No. 6 Louisville.
» Mohammad Habhab's two blocks represent his fourth game with multiple blocks this season.
» With Mohammad Habhab's six assists, Habhab has five-straight games with at least three assists. He has 10 games with at least three dimes this season and three games with at least six.
» Addison Patterson scored 20 points, his sixth-straight game with at least 12 points. Patterson has 13 games with at least 10 points this season with nine of those coming in the last 10 games. Patterson scored 20+ points for the second time this season with the other being a 23-point outing against IU Indy, Nov. 14.
» Gregory Lawson's 13 points topped his career high of six points, most recently achieved at Purdue Fort Wayne, Dec. 10.
» Gregory Lawson was 3-for-4 from three-point range, marking the second time in his career he has made multiple threes in one game. Lawson made two triples at Purdue Fort Wayne, Dec. 10.
» Godslove Nwabude tallied three blocks. He has at least one block in five-straight games and multiple blocks in six games this season.
» Aidan Rubio (Flint, Mich./Goodrich/UNC-Asheville) scored eight points, helped by a pair of three-pointers. Rubio, who was 2-for-4 from three-point range, has three games with multiple threes this season.
» Aidan Rubio had two blocks. He came into the game with zero blocks this season.
Historical Notes
» Northern Illinois leads the all-time series, 60-48. Tuesday's game marked the final time the teams will meet in the regular as MAC foes.
» Eastern has won three-straight meetings over NIU for the first time since 2018-19.
Up Next
» Eastern travels to Bowling Green State University for a Saturday game, Jan. 17, at 1 p.m. The game is on ESPN+ and will be held in Bowling Green, Ohio, inside the Stroh Center.
Follow Us
For the most up-to-date information on the Eagles, visit EMUEagles.com. Fans can also follow the team on social media, including Twitter (@EMU_MBB) and Instagram (@EMUMBB).
Team Stats
NIU
EMU
FG%
.356
.492
3FG%
.240
.278
FT%
.579
.800
RB
38
39
TO
14
10
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Pts
20
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
6
Pts
15
FGM
7
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Pts
13
FGM
5
3FGM
3
FTM
0
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Players Mentioned
G
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's Basketball
G/F
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