DEKALB, Ill. – Bowling Green shot 58.7 percent (27-of-46) and made 12 three-pointers as the Falcons topped the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team, 87-67, on Saturday afternoon at the NIU Convocation Center. Senior Levi Bradley (Milwaukee, Wis./Pius XI) led four Huskies in double figures with 18 points, along with a team-high six rebounds. 

Junior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) added 15 points, senior Lacey James (Grand Rapids, Mich./Rider) chipped in 12 points and senior Dante Thorpe (Washington, D.C./Triton College) scored 12 points. 

"We saw first-hand how good Bowling Green was, they shot lights out," said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. "We couldn't get enough consecutive stops, our guards fought, but the guard play from Bowling Green was awfully good today. They scored in transition, they scored in the half-court, they controlled most of the game. 

"It is hard to play catch up against the team like this, they shoot the ball too well. We just have to be better next time out."

NIU (12-14, 5-8 MAC) had a one-point lead, 11-10, early on after a deep triple from sophomore Rod Henry-Hayes (Zion, Ill./Zion-Benton Township), before Bowling Green used a 13-2 run to take a 23-13 lead just before the midway point of the opening half. 

The Huskies then responded with an 8-2 burst, trimming the Falcon lead to four, 25-21. James opened the spurt for NIU, Bradley added the next four and James capped the run with a layup with just over eight minutes to play before the break. 

Bowling Green (18-7, 10-2 MAC) answered with seven of the next nine as the Falcons pushed their lead to nine with 5:05 remaining in the half. 

With the Falcons in front by eight, Bowling Green scored the next five points of the opening 20 minutes to take a 42-29 lead into halftime. 

Bowling Green opened the second half with a 6-1 burst as the Falcons took a 48-30 lead 90 seconds into the second stanza. The lead grew to 71-47 for Bowling Green with just over nine minutes to play before the Huskies made a run. 

James knocked down a corner triple to start a 12-3 burst for the Huskies. Thorpe added four free throws, sandwiched around a basket by German, and German finished the run with a triple as NIU cut the deficit to a dozen, 73-61, with a little over five minutes remaining. 

The Falcons responded with the next eight however and never looked back, earning their fifth road win in conference play. 

Justin Turner led all scorers with 34 points for Bowling Green, going 10-of-14 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from three, along with 10-of-14 from the free-throw line. Dylan Frye added 13 points while Antwon Lillard chipped in 10 points and a game-high six assists. 

NIU will have a week off before the Huskies return to action next Saturday, February 23, at Toledo. Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. CT and will be available on CBS Sports Network.