Playing in his final home regular season contest, Bond recorded 11 points to become the 31st Eagle in . . .
Winners of four straight and six of their last seven overall, the Eagles (18-11, 9-7 MAC) defeated the Huskies (12-17, 5-11 MAC) for the ninth consecutive time inside the Convocation Center and remained perfect against NIU at home under head coach Rob Murphy.
Minnie, meanwhile, added seven rebounds and a team-high two blocks to his game-high 26 points.Junior James Thompson IV tallied 14 points and eight boards. Redshirt junior Paul Jackson registered 13 points and five assists.
Eugene German led the way for Northern with 16 points, followed by Noah McCarty's 11 markers.
EMU put together another strong performance on the offensive end, finishing 55 percent from the floor on 33-of-60 shooting with nine triples, including a remarkable 64.5 percent (20-of-31) efficiency in the second half.
In contrast, NIU shot 37.3 percent, connecting on 19-of-51 field goal attempts. The Eagles took full advantage of the Huskies' poor ball control, scoring 21 points off 19 NIU turnovers and notching 24 fast-break points.
After the Huskies captured an early 6-0 advantage, Minnie knocked down a corner three to put the Green and White on the board with 17:08 to go in the opening half. Trailing 8-3, Minnie's second corner three of the afternoon sparked a 15-0 EMU run as the Eagles took an 18-8 lead with 11:01 left in the opening stanza.
The Eagles used a 10-0 run lasting nearly four minutes to build their largest lead to that point, 30-17, with 3:30 remaining in the first frame. The hosts owned a 31-23 advantage after 20 minutes.
Eastern Michigan carried the play to begin the second half, as Jackson hit back-to-back baskets to give EMU a 35-23 lead.
On the next possession, Bond notched his 221st career theft to take sole possession of EMU's all-time steals record. He punctuated the deed by throwing down a powerful one-handed slam to become the 31st Eagle in program history to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
EMU kept its foot on the gas, opening the final frame on a 14-3 run to grab a commanding 45-26 lead with 15:23 left in the second half.
Leading by as many as 35, the Eagles showcased their depth in the closing stages. Redshirt junior Terry Harris and junior Isaiah Green each netted their first points in Mid-American Conference play this season as EMU cruised to an 82-53 win over the Huskies.
NEXT:
Northern Illinois hosts Toledo Tuesday (8 p.m. ET) , while Eastern Michigan visits Western Michigan (7 p.m. ET),