KENT, Ohio – A 12-point run wrapped around halftime helped the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team to a 76-69 victory at Kent State on Tuesday night (Jan. 21), handing the Golden Flashes their first loss of the season at the M.A.C. Center. Three Huskies scored in double figures, led by 17 points and eight rebounds from senior Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter). Senior Lacey James (Grand Rapids, Mich./Rider) scored 16 points while sophomore Darius Beane (Carbondale, Ill./Southern Illinois) tied his season-high with 14 points and eight rebounds. 

With the win, NIU improves to 10-9 overall, 3-3 in Mid-American Conference play. 

Kent State (13-6, 3-3 MAC) built an early 10-point lead before a floater from freshman Tyler Cochran (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) and a corner triple by junior Gairges Daow (Melbourne, Australia/Victory Rock Academy) cut the Golden Flashes advantage in half, 16-11, with 11:35 to play in the opening half. 

A pair of free throws from Daow extended the NIU run to seven, cutting the Kent State lead to three, before the Golden Flashes answered with the next seven to take a 21-13 advantage with just over nine minutes to play in the half. 

An 8-0 run, capped by a four-point by from Beane, gave NIU its first lead of the contest, 28-26, with 4:25 to play before the intermission. James opened the run with a bucket before Beane scored the next half-dozen, including the four-point play, to put the Huskies in front by a pair. 

The contest was tied, 33-33, with just under three minutes left in the half before NIU scored the final eight before the break. Sophomore Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) and James each knocked in triples before a pull-up jumper by Daow gave the Huskies a 41-33 lead at halftime. 

Beane led NIU with 10 points in the first half as the Huskies shot 46.7 percent (14-of-30) from the field, including 75 percent (6-of-8) from three-point range. Danny Pippen scored 13 points to pace the Golden Flashes. 

Buckets from James and German helped the Huskies push their lead to a dozen, 45-33, to open the second half before a triple by Kent State ended the NIU run that started at the end of the opening half. 

The Huskies and Golden Flashes traded baskets until a corner triple brought Kent State back within seven, 53-46, with a little under 11 minutes left. 

Out of a timeout, Kent State forced a turnover and made a layup to trim the Huskie lead back to five, but NIU answered with a tough layup by Cochran as the lead went back to seven, 55-48. 

Kent State scored the next five, all of Huskie turnovers, to trim the NIU advantage to a pair, but the Huskies answered right back with a bucket from German and a trifecta by Hankerson, the only one for the Huskies in the second half, as NIU led 60-53 with a little over seven minutes remaining.

Hankerson finished with nine points on 3-of-3 from three-point range. 

Still in front by seven, a put-back from James extended the Huskie advantage to nine, 66-57, with four minutes left. 

A pair of free throws by German gave NIU a 72-62 lead with 57 seconds left. Kent State climbed within five in the final minute as the Huskies missed a handful of free throws, but that was as close as the Golden Flashes would get as NIU handed Kent State its first home loss of the season. 

Pippen led the Golden Flashes with 18 points, C.J. Williamson added 14 points and Antonio Williams added 13 for Kent State. 

NIU will return home on Saturday afternoon, January 25, for the first of three consecutive home games when the Huskies host Western Michigan. Tipoff against the Broncos is slated for 3 p.m.