• Blog
  • About Us
  • Links
  MAC Reporter Online

Armstead, Maric lead Huskies past WMU

2/29/2016

 
Picture
DEKALB, Ill. – Junior Aaric Armstead scored a game-high 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as the Northern Illinois Huskies cruised to a 76-67 victory over Western Michigan on Saturday afternoon at the NIU Convocation Center. 

The Huskies held the Broncos to just 20.7 percent (6-of-29) shooting in the first half as they built a 19-point halftime lead and coasted home to the victory. With the win, NIU improves to 19-10, 8-8 in Mid-American Conference play; NIU’s 19 victories are tied for the fourth-most in school history and are the most since the 1995-96 season when the Huskies won 20 games.

Sophomore Marin Maric finished . . . 

. . . one rebound shy of his eighth consecutive double-double as he recorded 16 points, nine rebounds and a career-best six blocks, tied for the second-most in a single game in NIU history. 

“It was a great win; there is no such thing as a bad win, especially late in the season,” said NIU associate head coach Jon Borovich. “The last time we played Western Michigan, we didn’t play great and they played with tremendous intensity, so that was a big point of emphasis today, and I think you saw that in the first half. 

“We are happy with today’s win and want to build on that momentum as we head into March and toward the MAC Tournament. 

NIU and Western Michigan traded leads in the early going as both teams got off to a slow start on the offensive end. Tied, 9-9, just before the midway point of the opening half, Armstead knocked down a triple to spark an 8-0 run that gave the Huskies a 19-7 lead with 7:20 left in the half. Armstead made a jumper to extend the run and freshman Levi Bradley canned a triple to give the Huskies the eight-point lead. 

Bradley finished with eight points and three rebounds. 

After a pair of free throws by the Broncos, another Armstead trifecta ignited a 13-2 Huskies burst that pushed NIU’s lead to 30-13 with under four minutes to play in the half. Maric added a basket during the run, Armstead made his third triple of the half and freshman Laytwan Porter scored the next five, including an old-fashioned three-point play, to push the NIU lead to 17.

Porter finished with nine points, on 4-of-5 shooting, five assists and three steals. 

Western Michigan (11-18, 5-11 MAC) trimmed the NIU lead to 15, 32-17, but six-straight Huskie points, four from senior Chuks Iroegbu and two from sophomore Andrew Zelis pushed the NIU lead to 38-17 in the final minute of the half. 

Iroegbu finished with eight points on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting from the field. 

The Broncos made two free throws before the intermission to cut the NIU lead to 38-19 at the break. NIU shot 61.5 percent (16-of-26) in the opening 20 minutes, Armstead led all scorers with 11 points. 

NIU led 44-27 with 16:24 left before an 11-0 run pushed the Huskie lead to 28, 55-27, with just under 13 minutes to play. Maric started the burst with a three-point play, senior Travon Baker added a basket, Armstead knocked in another trifecta, Maric added a free throw and Porter scored a bucket to give NIU its largest lead of the night. 

Baker finished with eight points and seven assists. 

Western Michigan used a 16-2 run to cut the Huskie lead to 68-57 with just over two minutes left, the Broncos would get within eight points twice, at 71-63 and 75-67, but the NIU lead was never threatened as the Huskies improved to 16-1 at home this season.

Thomas Wilder led the Broncos with 17 points, Tucker Haymond added 12 points and Seth Dugan chipped in 10 for Western Michigan.
 
NEXT:
Northern Illinois at Eastern Michigan (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET)
Toledo at Western Michigan (Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET)

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    MAC Football 

    MAC FOOTBALL 
    2024
    REGULAR SEASON
    FINAL STANDINGS
    CLICK HERE

    Picture
    MAC Basketball 
    MAC BASKETBALL SCHEDULE

    MAC BASKETBALL
    STATISTICS

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Basketball
    Football
    Other

    Archives

    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

Proudly powered by Weebly