Jan. 9, 2007

Final Stats

 
Ypsilanti, Mich.  -  After trailing by as many as 12 points in the opening half, the Northern Illinois men's basketball team seemed poised for victory as the Huskies held a 61-57 lead over Eastern Michigan with 1:45 left in regulation of their Mid-American Conference showdown on Tuesday night.

EMU, however, went on a 6-1 run, led by four points and including the pair of game-winning free throws from Eagles' sophomore guard Carlos Medlock with 16.8 seconds left to earn the 63-62 triumph over the visiting Huskies at the EMU Convocation Center.

Medlock finished with a team-high 15 points, while teammates Jesse Bunkley and Brandon Bowdry had nine points apiece for Eastern.

With the victory, EMU improves to 6-9 overall and 1-1 in MAC play, while the Huskies drop to 4-10 on the campaign and 1-1 in conference action.

NIU was solid on the defensive end, as the Huskie defense held the Eagles to 39.0% (23-for-59) shooting from the floor and 26.7% (4-for-15) from three-point range. The downfall for the Huskies however was rebounding as EMU grabbed 16 offensive boards on the evening.

"I really felt good about the way we competed on the defensive end," NIU head coach Rob Judson said. "Eastern had been shooting really well here over the past four to five games, close to 40 percent and we hold them to 27 percent and 39 percent as a team."

"The thing that allowed them to win was that they got 12 more shots because of 16 offensive rebounds. We just have to do a better job of securing the rebound on free throws and regular possessions."

James Hughes (Silvis, Ill.) had 20 points and 12 rebounds and Ryan Paradise (Naperville, Ill.) added 18 points for the Huskies.

After Eastern built a five-point lead five minutes into the second half, Northern Illinois scored eight straight points to go in front 42-39 with 12:34 remaining. Craig Cashen's basket off a rebound put the Eagles back ahead 49-48 with 7:35 left.

The teams traded the lead seven times before Mike McKinney (Evanston, Ill.) split a pair of free throws with 19 seconds remaining, giving Northern Illinois a 62-61 edge. On the ensuing possession, Paradise fouled Medlock, who connected on the game-winning free throws.

Judson was quick to point out the difference in the ballgame could have happened at any point of the game.

"This was a game that came down to possessions," Judson said. "A possession in the first half offensively or defensively is every bit as important as the possession in the second half when you come down the stretch."

NIU is back in action on Saturday (Jan. 13) afternoon, as they face MAC West rival Central Michigan for a 5 p.m. (CST) tip-off.
                                                                                                --NIU--