Feb. 23, 2011
Final Stats | Box Score 
Central Michigan 64, Northern Illinois 58
Convocation Center | DeKalb, Ill
|
|
|
1st |
2nd |
Final |
Central Michigan
|
33
|
31
|
34
|
| Northern Illinois |
34
|
24
|
58
|
|
|
|
| Player of the Game |
 |
Antone Christian
Points: 11
FG: 3-8
Rebounds: 2
Assists: 0
|
|
Team Stats
|
NIU |
OPP |
FG Percentage
|
46.5 |
40.0 |
| 3-Point FG Percentage |
33.3 |
47.1 |
| FT Percentage |
70.0 |
69.0 |
Offensive Rebounds
|
6 |
6 |
| Defensive Rebounds |
24 |
21 |
| Total Rebounds |
30 |
27 |
Assists
|
12 |
9 |
Turnovers
|
18 |
11 |
Blocks
|
1 |
3 |
Steals
|
4 |
12 |
Points in the Paint
|
26 |
19 |
Points off Turnovers
|
10 |
21 |
|
|
| |
DEKALB, Ill.- The Northern Illinois men's basketball fell, 64-58, to Central Michigan on Wednesday night at the NIU Convocation Center. NIU held a 34-33 halftime lead in a game that featured 10 ties and 17 lead changes, but Central Michigan scored the final 11 points of the contest to earn the road win.
Redshirt freshman guard Antone Christian scored a team-high 11 to lead the Huskies, senior guard Xavier Silas and freshman forward Nate Rucker each added 10 points. Silas played just 24 minutes before leaving with an ankle injury midway through the second half.
“It was a tough game, I thought we had our chances,” said NIU head coach Ricardo Patton. “I thought when Xavier (Silas) went out of the game in changed the complexion of the game a little bit. Our guys battled and fought, we just didn’t make enough plays.”
Central Michigan shot 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from behind the three-point arc while holding NIU to just 33.3 percent (4-of-12). The Chippewas also held a 20-14 free throw advantage.
A basket by Silas and a trifecta from the wing by junior forward Tim Toler gave NIU an 11-7 advantage five minutes into the contest before a 7-2 burst from Central Michigan gave the lead back to the Chippewas, 14-13.
The lead continued to swing back-and-forth as the Huskies and Chippewas traded baskets. Jalin Thomas made three consecutive triples for Central Michigan to carry the Chippewas offensively while Toler made a trio of buckets for NIU as the contest was tied, 25-25, with 5:47 left in the first half.
NIU used an 11-3 run to take a six-point advantage, 34-28, with 1:34 left before the intermission, but Central Michigan scored the final five points of the half to cut the Huskies lead to one, 34-33, at the break.
Thomas led all scorers with 20 points in the first half for CMU; he was 6-of-7 beyond the three-point arc. Toler led Northern Illinois with nine points. The Huskies had 10 assists on 13 first half field goals and shot 65.0 percent (13-of-20) in the while the Chippewas shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21) from the floor. NIU outscored Central Michigan 18-7 in the paint in the opening 20 minutes.
The NIU lead reached four early in the second half until six-straight points by Trey Zeigler gave Central Michigan a 40-38 lead with 15:27 to play.
The Huskies and Chippewas traded baskets for the next eight minutes and found themselves tied for the ninth time, 52-52, with 7:30 left before the Huskies used a 6-1 run to take a 58-53 lead with five minutes remaining, forcing a Central Michigan timeout.
Following the timeout, Finis Craddock hit a three for Central Michigan and Thomas made a layup to tie the game, 58-58, with 3:17 to play. Derek Jackson then made a pair of free throws with 1:39 remaining to give Central Michigan a two-point lead. NIU was held scoreless for the final five minutes.
Thomas finished with a game-high 29 points, including seven three-pointers, for the Chippewas. Trey Zeigler added 19 points.
The Huskies return to the road on Saturday, Feb. 26, when they travel to Toledo to meet the Rockets. Game time is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
