DEKALB, Ill. – Jalen Terry made a 35-footer as time expired to give Eastern Michigan a 79-76 victory over the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 22) at the NIU Convocation Center. NIU led most of the way, including the entire final 10 minutes, until Terry's buzzer beater. 

Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) scored a team-high 20 points to lead the Huskies, James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) added 19 points and Tsvet Sotirov (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) scored a career-best 17 points, including 5-of-6 from three-point range. 

As a team, NIU made a school record 15 three-point field goals, going 15-of-27 (55.6 percent) from beyond the arc. 

Eastern Michigan (14-13, 7-7 MAC) made four of its first five shots as the Eagles led 10-8 in the early going.

The Eagles were in front 14-11 when NIU used an 8-0 burst to take a five-point lead. Dent made a pair of triples, sandwiched around a basket from Jones, as the Huskies led 19-14 with 13:17 to play in the half. 

NIU's lead went to a half-dozen as Sotirov made his third triple of the game, giving the Huskies a 23-17 advantage with 12:22 to go. NIU opened 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. 

Eastern Michigan scored the next five as the Eagles pulled to within one. 

Tied at 25, NIU scored nine-straight to take a 34-25 lead with 5:45 left in the half. Jones made a free throw, Steven Tipton (Brookfield, Wis./Brookfield Central) scored the next five and Nasir Muhammad (Brooklyn, N.Y./Xaverian) added a corner three to put the Huskies in front by nine. 

A four-point play from Dent gave NIU a 41-31 lead, Eastern Michigan scored the next four to trim the Huskie lead to six with 2:15 left before the break. 

NIU's lead was seven before Dent hit a triple at the buzzer to give the Huskies a 48-38 lead at the intermission. Sotirov led all scorers with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Dent had 13 points while Terry paced Eastern Michigan with 10. NIU went 11-of-17 (64.7 percent) from beyond the arc in the opening stanza. 

NIU (5-22, 1-13 MAC) made a free throw to begin the second half before Eastern Michigan used an 11-0 run to even the game at 49 with 15:56 to play, forcing a Huskie timeout. 

Eastern Michigan led by one when Dent connected on his fifth triple of the night to push the Huskies back in front by a pair, 58-56, with 11:14 left. 

After Eastern Michigan pulled even at 58, NIU used a 9-2 burst to go in front 67-60 with just under eight minutes to play. Jayden Mott (Midwest City, Okla./Edmond Santa Fe) made a free throw and Jones scored off an inbounds play to start the run before Dent went 3-of-3 from the line and Sotirov knocked in his fifth trifecta to give the hosts a seven-point advantage. 

With just under four minutes remaining, Jones rattled home NIU's 15th three of the night, giving the Huskies a 74-65 lead. 

Eastern Michigan scored the next four at the free-throw line before Jones made a bucket with 1:22 left, giving NIU a 76-69 lead. On the next possession, the Eagles hit a three to get within four. Then, following an empty trip for the Huskies, EMU scored out of a timeout, forced a turnover and scored again to tie the game at 76 with 13 seconds remaining. 

The Huskies turned the ball over with three seconds to play which led to a chance for Eastern Michigan, Terry received the inbounds and got a couple of strides across midcourt before pulling up and making a triple at the buzzer. 

Terry finished with a game-high 28 points, Da'Sean Nelson added 19 points and Christian Henry added 10 for the visitors. 

NIU will return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 25, when the Huskies travel to Oxford, Ohio to face Miami.