TUESDAY, JAN. 10 ACTION
KENT STATE 75, TOLEDO 63
MIAMI 91, BUFFALO 80
AKRON 74, BOWLING GREEN 70
WESTERN MICHIGAN 85, EASTERN MICHIGAN 79
OHIO 76, BALL STATE 71,
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 73, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54
MIAMI 91, BUFFALO 80
AKRON 74, BOWLING GREEN 70
WESTERN MICHIGAN 85, EASTERN MICHIGAN 79
OHIO 76, BALL STATE 71,
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 73, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54
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KENT STATE 75, TOLEDO 63
Kent, Ohio – The Kent State men's basketball team (13-3, 3-0 MAC) remains undefeated at home and in the Mid-American Conference with their 75-63 win against Toledo. The Flashes' win tonight is their seventh straight win. The Flashes are 8-0 in the M.A.C. Center for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Flashes' seniors led the way in a face-paced game against the top offense in the MAC. Miryne Thomas came off electric on both sides of the court. Thomas recorded his second double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. Both were season high. Malique Jacobs followed recording a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Sincere Carry scored 20+ points for the fifth time this season with 21 points.
Despite the Flashes falling behind at halftime with only two points in the last four minutes of the first half, they held Toledo to a season-low 63 points. The Flashes cleaned up the boards outrebounding the Rockets 45-to-35 with 20 coming on the offensive glass.
Ra'Heim Moss' layup cut Toledo's deficit to 66-62 with 1:54 left, but Kent State ended the contest with a 9-1 run to secure the victory.
Kent, Ohio – The Kent State men's basketball team (13-3, 3-0 MAC) remains undefeated at home and in the Mid-American Conference with their 75-63 win against Toledo. The Flashes' win tonight is their seventh straight win. The Flashes are 8-0 in the M.A.C. Center for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Flashes' seniors led the way in a face-paced game against the top offense in the MAC. Miryne Thomas came off electric on both sides of the court. Thomas recorded his second double-double of the season with a game-high 22 points and 13 rebounds. Both were season high. Malique Jacobs followed recording a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Sincere Carry scored 20+ points for the fifth time this season with 21 points.
Despite the Flashes falling behind at halftime with only two points in the last four minutes of the first half, they held Toledo to a season-low 63 points. The Flashes cleaned up the boards outrebounding the Rockets 45-to-35 with 20 coming on the offensive glass.
Ra'Heim Moss' layup cut Toledo's deficit to 66-62 with 1:54 left, but Kent State ended the contest with a 9-1 run to secure the victory.
MIAMI 91, BUFFALO 80
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- If somebody had asked Miami Head Coach Travis Steele how he liked his chances in an upcoming game if he knew three starters would foul out and his team would commit 22 turnovers, he likely wouldn't have been very optimistic. Add in that the opponent would be a 2-0 (MAC) Buffalo squad that ranked fifth in the nation in fastbreak points, and the odds would go down even further.
Odds be darned, however, as the RedHawks overcame it all to knock off Buffalo 91-80 Tuesday at Millett Hall. Four RedHawks reached double figures, with Mekhi Lairy leading the way. He scored 20 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds while playing nearly 39 minutes.
Anderson Mirambeaux also . . . CONTINUE
By MIKE SMITH
OXFORD, OH -- If somebody had asked Miami Head Coach Travis Steele how he liked his chances in an upcoming game if he knew three starters would foul out and his team would commit 22 turnovers, he likely wouldn't have been very optimistic. Add in that the opponent would be a 2-0 (MAC) Buffalo squad that ranked fifth in the nation in fastbreak points, and the odds would go down even further.
Odds be darned, however, as the RedHawks overcame it all to knock off Buffalo 91-80 Tuesday at Millett Hall. Four RedHawks reached double figures, with Mekhi Lairy leading the way. He scored 20 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed seven rebounds while playing nearly 39 minutes.
Anderson Mirambeaux also . . . CONTINUE
AKRON 74, BOWLING GREEN 70
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio –The Akron Zips received a total team effort for their first road win of the season, defeating Bowling Green 74-70 at the Stroh Center on Tuesday evening.
The Zips (10-6, 2-1) battled the Falcons (8-8, 2-1) to the final seconds oof regulation behind a third-straight double-double from junior Enrique Freeman, a career performance by junior Sammy Hunter, the return of Xavier Castaneda and a pair of clutch free throws by Nate Johnson to ultimately hand Bowling Green its first Mid-American Conference loss.
Freeman recorded his ninth double-double of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, with 15 of those points and 11 rebounds coming in the second half. The reining MAC Player of the Week added a 90-percent (9-of-10) shooting performance from the free throw line. Hunter followed with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, including a career-best 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. He kept the Zips in the game throughout the first 20-minutes, knocking down big shot after big shot.
The Zips trailed by as many as nine points (33-24) in the first half, but Akron used three straight stops to spark a 9-0 run to knot the game at 33 points apiece. Senior Trendon Hankerson started the run with a blocked shot and junior Greg Tribble turn the stop into two points at the other end of the floor. On the ensuing play, Castaneda stripped BG's Samari Curtis and found Hunter for a transition three, while Tribble recorded the next steal and led Castaneda to a fastbreak layin. At halftime the game was tied 36-36.
Castaneda contributed eight points in the first frame, and followed with eight in the second half for a 16-point returning performance. He scored six crucial points with an old-fashioned 3-point play at 8:55 to tie the game (58-58) and a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring with 2:08 left to play for what proved to be the Zips final lead (71-68).
The Falcons pulled within one-point (71-70) before Freeman split a pair of free throws to give Akron a two-point advantage. On the other end of the floor, Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound, causing the home team to foul, and buried the pair of bonus buckets to secure the win with less than a second on the clock.
Bowling Green shot 49.1 percent from the field (26-of-53) and 49.1 percent (10-of-21) from beyond the arc in a game that featured 16 lead changes and eight tied scores. Leon Ayers led the Falcons with 19 points, while Kaden Metheny and Rashaun Agee added 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Akron edged the Falcons on the glass 35-33 and won the turnover battle 9-12 with seven steals, two steals each from Hankerson, Tribble and Hunter.
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio –The Akron Zips received a total team effort for their first road win of the season, defeating Bowling Green 74-70 at the Stroh Center on Tuesday evening.
The Zips (10-6, 2-1) battled the Falcons (8-8, 2-1) to the final seconds oof regulation behind a third-straight double-double from junior Enrique Freeman, a career performance by junior Sammy Hunter, the return of Xavier Castaneda and a pair of clutch free throws by Nate Johnson to ultimately hand Bowling Green its first Mid-American Conference loss.
Freeman recorded his ninth double-double of the season, scoring 21 points and grabbing 16 rebounds, with 15 of those points and 11 rebounds coming in the second half. The reining MAC Player of the Week added a 90-percent (9-of-10) shooting performance from the free throw line. Hunter followed with a career-high 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor, including a career-best 4-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc. He kept the Zips in the game throughout the first 20-minutes, knocking down big shot after big shot.
The Zips trailed by as many as nine points (33-24) in the first half, but Akron used three straight stops to spark a 9-0 run to knot the game at 33 points apiece. Senior Trendon Hankerson started the run with a blocked shot and junior Greg Tribble turn the stop into two points at the other end of the floor. On the ensuing play, Castaneda stripped BG's Samari Curtis and found Hunter for a transition three, while Tribble recorded the next steal and led Castaneda to a fastbreak layin. At halftime the game was tied 36-36.
Castaneda contributed eight points in the first frame, and followed with eight in the second half for a 16-point returning performance. He scored six crucial points with an old-fashioned 3-point play at 8:55 to tie the game (58-58) and a 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring with 2:08 left to play for what proved to be the Zips final lead (71-68).
The Falcons pulled within one-point (71-70) before Freeman split a pair of free throws to give Akron a two-point advantage. On the other end of the floor, Johnson grabbed a defensive rebound, causing the home team to foul, and buried the pair of bonus buckets to secure the win with less than a second on the clock.
Bowling Green shot 49.1 percent from the field (26-of-53) and 49.1 percent (10-of-21) from beyond the arc in a game that featured 16 lead changes and eight tied scores. Leon Ayers led the Falcons with 19 points, while Kaden Metheny and Rashaun Agee added 16 and 11 points, respectively.
Akron edged the Falcons on the glass 35-33 and won the turnover battle 9-12 with seven steals, two steals each from Hankerson, Tribble and Hunter.
WESTERN MICHIGAN 85, EASTERN MICHIGAN 79
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In its first home game of 2023, Western Michigan posted an 85-79 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday evening. It was the first MAC win for first-year head coach Dwayne Stephens, in what was his first conference home game at the helm of the Broncos.
Lamar Norman Jr. led Western Michigan (5-11, 1-2 MAC) in scoring for the ninth time this season with a game-high 25 points, which included a career-high 12 free throws on a career-high 15 attempts. Norman was joined in double-figures by Markeese Hastings (14), Seth Hubbard (13) and Tray Maddox Jr. (10). Hubbard's 13 points equaled the freshman's career high. Tuesday marked the third straight game WMU has had four players score double-digit points, and the sixth time it has happened so far this season.
Hastings netted his 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting, a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. The redshirt junior also hauled in 14 rebounds, his third straight game with double-digit boards. The double-double was Hastings' fourth of the season and eighth of his career.
Holding an 8-7 edge in the early going, Western Michigan posted an 11-2 run to open up a 19-9 advantage at the 8:37 mark of the first half. Eastern Michigan (4-12, 1-2 MAC) countered with a 17-4 surge, including nine in a row at one point, to go on top 26-23 with just under four minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
EMU's nine straight points were immediately answered by eight consecutive Bronco points, and WMU closed the half with a 13-2 stretch to head into the locker room with a 36-28 cushion.
A Hastings dunk and pair of Maddox triples helped the Broncos boost their advantage to 14, 44-30, two minutes into the second half. WMU maintained a double-digit advantage until a 14-6 stretch drew the Eagles back to within four, 56-52, with 10:29 on the clock.
Norman and Hubbard combined to score Western Michigan's next 10 points, as the hosts' advantage once again grew to double-digits with just under seven minutes to play. Eastern Michigan again chipped away at the WMU lead, eventually shrinking the gap to four, 73-69, at the 1:58 mark.
In response, the Broncos went back to Norman to close it out, and the senior answered the call, tallying 13 of WMU's final 15 points in the contest. Norman was 11-of-13 from the free throw line in the second half, all which came in the final 3:37 of the game to help Western Michigan put the game on ice.
The Broncos and Eagles shot nearly identical marks from the field, with WMU at 45.9 percent (28-of-61) and EMU at 46.6 percent (27-of-58). Western Michigan set season highs for free throws made (22) and attempted (30).
Western Michigan was plus-three (35-32) on the glass for the evening, which helped lead to an 8-2 edge in second-chance points. WMU also forced five more turnovers (17) than it committed (12), which aided the hosts in racking up a 28-11 advantage in points off of turnovers. The 17 forced turnovers were a new season-best for the Bronco defense.
KALAMAZOO, Mich. – In its first home game of 2023, Western Michigan posted an 85-79 victory over Eastern Michigan on Tuesday evening. It was the first MAC win for first-year head coach Dwayne Stephens, in what was his first conference home game at the helm of the Broncos.
Lamar Norman Jr. led Western Michigan (5-11, 1-2 MAC) in scoring for the ninth time this season with a game-high 25 points, which included a career-high 12 free throws on a career-high 15 attempts. Norman was joined in double-figures by Markeese Hastings (14), Seth Hubbard (13) and Tray Maddox Jr. (10). Hubbard's 13 points equaled the freshman's career high. Tuesday marked the third straight game WMU has had four players score double-digit points, and the sixth time it has happened so far this season.
Hastings netted his 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting, a pair of three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line. The redshirt junior also hauled in 14 rebounds, his third straight game with double-digit boards. The double-double was Hastings' fourth of the season and eighth of his career.
Holding an 8-7 edge in the early going, Western Michigan posted an 11-2 run to open up a 19-9 advantage at the 8:37 mark of the first half. Eastern Michigan (4-12, 1-2 MAC) countered with a 17-4 surge, including nine in a row at one point, to go on top 26-23 with just under four minutes remaining in the opening stanza.
EMU's nine straight points were immediately answered by eight consecutive Bronco points, and WMU closed the half with a 13-2 stretch to head into the locker room with a 36-28 cushion.
A Hastings dunk and pair of Maddox triples helped the Broncos boost their advantage to 14, 44-30, two minutes into the second half. WMU maintained a double-digit advantage until a 14-6 stretch drew the Eagles back to within four, 56-52, with 10:29 on the clock.
Norman and Hubbard combined to score Western Michigan's next 10 points, as the hosts' advantage once again grew to double-digits with just under seven minutes to play. Eastern Michigan again chipped away at the WMU lead, eventually shrinking the gap to four, 73-69, at the 1:58 mark.
In response, the Broncos went back to Norman to close it out, and the senior answered the call, tallying 13 of WMU's final 15 points in the contest. Norman was 11-of-13 from the free throw line in the second half, all which came in the final 3:37 of the game to help Western Michigan put the game on ice.
The Broncos and Eagles shot nearly identical marks from the field, with WMU at 45.9 percent (28-of-61) and EMU at 46.6 percent (27-of-58). Western Michigan set season highs for free throws made (22) and attempted (30).
Western Michigan was plus-three (35-32) on the glass for the evening, which helped lead to an 8-2 edge in second-chance points. WMU also forced five more turnovers (17) than it committed (12), which aided the hosts in racking up a 28-11 advantage in points off of turnovers. The 17 forced turnovers were a new season-best for the Bronco defense.
OHIO 76, BALL STATE 71
ATHENS, Ohio--The Ohio Bobcats (9-7, 1-2 MAC) continued Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday evening, defeating the Ball State Cardinals (11-5, 2-1 MAC), 76-71, inside the Convocation Center.
Overall, Ohio shot 45 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from three and were 12-of-18 from the line, while Ball State shot 45.1 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three and were 17-of-24 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 35-32, while Ohio recorded nine steals in comparison the Ball State's six.
Individually, junior guard Jaylin Hunter led the team with 23 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from three while graduate student forward Dwight Wilson III scored 22 points, led the team in rebounds with 10 and was 9-for-15 from the field.
After back-to-back bad pass turnovers by Ball State, Wilson III scored the first two points of the game with a layup. Ohio and Ball State entered the first media timeout tied, 5-5; the Cardinals scored coming out of the timeout, but back-to-back threes from sophomore forward AJ Clayton, who finished the game with 16 points, and Hunter gave the Bobcats an 11-9 lead.
Ball State went on a 10-0 run, taking a 19-13 lead with 9:04 remaining in the first half. Heading out of the timeout, the Cardinals scored eight points before Wilson III scored a two-point jumper. Senior guard Miles Brown followed with a driving layup, cutting Ohio's deficit to 10 points with 4:20 remaining in the half. The Bobcats went on an 9-0 run, highlighted by an alleyoop dunk by Clayton followed by a steal and layup by Miles Brown to cut Ball State's lead to one point. A Cardinals' layup with eight seconds left until halftime put the score at 29-26.
At the half, Ohio shot 39.3 percent from the field, 44.4 from three and were 0-of-1 from the line, while Ball State shot 40.7 percent from the field, 28.6 from three and were 3-of-5 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 21-15.
Coming out of halftime, Ball State scored first, but the Bobcats were right behind them, scoring six points to the Cardinals eight in the first four minutes of play. Freshman guard AJ Brown converted a steal to a layup followed by a good free throw, putting the score at 37-35 heading into the timeout.
After two Ball State free throws, back-to-back threes from Hunter and Clayton gave the Bobcats a 41-39 lead with 14:48 left in the game. A free throw followed by a second-chance dunk extended Ohio's lead to 44-39 heading into a timeout.
The Bobcats maintained their lead, answering Ball State's two free throws with and turnaround jumper with five points on their own, putting the score at 50-43 with 10:16 left in the game. After two free throws from Hunter, an Clayton three extended Ohio's lead to 10 points. The Cardinals scored four points with two free throws and a layup, but a three-point jumper and a layup from Clayton put the score at 60-48 with 7:44 left in the game.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cardinals went on a 11-5 run, cutting Ohio's lead to six points. Ball State threatened to overtake the Bobcats, coming within four points of Ohio with less than two minutes remaining in the game. A Cardinals second-chance three-point jumper with 33 seconds left to play cut the Bobcats' lead to two points, but a free throw by Hunter put the score at 74-71.
Senior guard DeVon Baker hit two free throws with 10 seconds in the game, solidifying Ohio's 76-71 victory.
ATHENS, Ohio--The Ohio Bobcats (9-7, 1-2 MAC) continued Mid-American Conference play on Tuesday evening, defeating the Ball State Cardinals (11-5, 2-1 MAC), 76-71, inside the Convocation Center.
Overall, Ohio shot 45 percent from the field, 47.6 percent from three and were 12-of-18 from the line, while Ball State shot 45.1 percent from the field, 34.8 percent from three and were 17-of-24 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 35-32, while Ohio recorded nine steals in comparison the Ball State's six.
Individually, junior guard Jaylin Hunter led the team with 23 points, going 5-for-6 from the field and 4-for-5 from three while graduate student forward Dwight Wilson III scored 22 points, led the team in rebounds with 10 and was 9-for-15 from the field.
After back-to-back bad pass turnovers by Ball State, Wilson III scored the first two points of the game with a layup. Ohio and Ball State entered the first media timeout tied, 5-5; the Cardinals scored coming out of the timeout, but back-to-back threes from sophomore forward AJ Clayton, who finished the game with 16 points, and Hunter gave the Bobcats an 11-9 lead.
Ball State went on a 10-0 run, taking a 19-13 lead with 9:04 remaining in the first half. Heading out of the timeout, the Cardinals scored eight points before Wilson III scored a two-point jumper. Senior guard Miles Brown followed with a driving layup, cutting Ohio's deficit to 10 points with 4:20 remaining in the half. The Bobcats went on an 9-0 run, highlighted by an alleyoop dunk by Clayton followed by a steal and layup by Miles Brown to cut Ball State's lead to one point. A Cardinals' layup with eight seconds left until halftime put the score at 29-26.
At the half, Ohio shot 39.3 percent from the field, 44.4 from three and were 0-of-1 from the line, while Ball State shot 40.7 percent from the field, 28.6 from three and were 3-of-5 from the line. The Cardinals outrebounded the Bobcats, 21-15.
Coming out of halftime, Ball State scored first, but the Bobcats were right behind them, scoring six points to the Cardinals eight in the first four minutes of play. Freshman guard AJ Brown converted a steal to a layup followed by a good free throw, putting the score at 37-35 heading into the timeout.
After two Ball State free throws, back-to-back threes from Hunter and Clayton gave the Bobcats a 41-39 lead with 14:48 left in the game. A free throw followed by a second-chance dunk extended Ohio's lead to 44-39 heading into a timeout.
The Bobcats maintained their lead, answering Ball State's two free throws with and turnaround jumper with five points on their own, putting the score at 50-43 with 10:16 left in the game. After two free throws from Hunter, an Clayton three extended Ohio's lead to 10 points. The Cardinals scored four points with two free throws and a layup, but a three-point jumper and a layup from Clayton put the score at 60-48 with 7:44 left in the game.
Coming out of the timeout, the Cardinals went on a 11-5 run, cutting Ohio's lead to six points. Ball State threatened to overtake the Bobcats, coming within four points of Ohio with less than two minutes remaining in the game. A Cardinals second-chance three-point jumper with 33 seconds left to play cut the Bobcats' lead to two points, but a free throw by Hunter put the score at 74-71.
Senior guard DeVon Baker hit two free throws with 10 seconds in the game, solidifying Ohio's 76-71 victory.
NORTHERN ILLINOIS 73, CENTRAL MICHIGAN 54
DEKALB, Ill. – David Coit scored 23 points and Zarique Nutter added a career-best 22 as Northern Illinois downed Central Michigan, 73-54, on Tuesday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
The Huskies shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field, and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from three, as they earned their first win in Mid-American Conference play.
NIU scored 37 points off 22 Central Michigan turnovers and also converted 23 fast break points in the contest.
A pair of free throws from Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and a basket by Nutter helped give the Huskies an early 8-6 lead inside the opening five minutes of the contest. The bucket by Nutter was the first of eight-straight Huskie points for the Newark, N.J. native.
Nutter went 7-of-10 from the field and also grabbed six rebounds.
With the game tied at 17, Coit and Thornton knocked in back-to-back triples to put the Huskies in front by a half-dozen. The NIU run grew to 10-0 on a free throw by Coit and another trifecta from the Huskie guard as NIU took a 27-17 lead with 7:51 left in the opening half.
After Central Michigan answered with the next three, Thornton knocked in a triple and Coit converted to give NIU a 32-20 advantage with just under five minutes to play in the half.
Thornton finished with 16 points in the contest on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
The Huskie lead grew to as much as 15 on a triple by Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio), but Central Michigan scored the final five points of the half to trim the NIU advantage to 40-30 at the break.
Coit led all scorers with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, Brian Taylor had seven to pace the Chippewas. NIU scored 20 points off 12 Central Michigan turnovers in the first half and went 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Five minutes into the second half, with NIU still in front by 10, Coit knocked down his fourth triple of the contest, and then added a layup as the Huskies took a 52-37 lead with 14:16 to play.
Coit went 9-of-15 from the floor in the contest, including 4-of-8 from three.
A pair of buckets from Nutter helped ignited an 8-2 Huskie burst as Coit added a basket and Anthony Crump made a pair of free throws as NIU pushed its lead to 61-41 with 9:31 left.
Crump finished with five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Despite having each of its three tallest players fouled out for the final 6:36 of the contest, playing the remainder of the game with no one taller than 6-foot-6, NIU held Central Michigan to just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) shooting in the second half.
Taylor led the Chippewas with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Markus Harding added 11 points.
DEKALB, Ill. – David Coit scored 23 points and Zarique Nutter added a career-best 22 as Northern Illinois downed Central Michigan, 73-54, on Tuesday night at the NIU Convocation Center.
The Huskies shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field, and 44.4 percent (8-of-18) from three, as they earned their first win in Mid-American Conference play.
NIU scored 37 points off 22 Central Michigan turnovers and also converted 23 fast break points in the contest.
A pair of free throws from Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and a basket by Nutter helped give the Huskies an early 8-6 lead inside the opening five minutes of the contest. The bucket by Nutter was the first of eight-straight Huskie points for the Newark, N.J. native.
Nutter went 7-of-10 from the field and also grabbed six rebounds.
With the game tied at 17, Coit and Thornton knocked in back-to-back triples to put the Huskies in front by a half-dozen. The NIU run grew to 10-0 on a free throw by Coit and another trifecta from the Huskie guard as NIU took a 27-17 lead with 7:51 left in the opening half.
After Central Michigan answered with the next three, Thornton knocked in a triple and Coit converted to give NIU a 32-20 advantage with just under five minutes to play in the half.
Thornton finished with 16 points in the contest on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
The Huskie lead grew to as much as 15 on a triple by Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio), but Central Michigan scored the final five points of the half to trim the NIU advantage to 40-30 at the break.
Coit led all scorers with 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, Brian Taylor had seven to pace the Chippewas. NIU scored 20 points off 12 Central Michigan turnovers in the first half and went 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from beyond the arc.
Five minutes into the second half, with NIU still in front by 10, Coit knocked down his fourth triple of the contest, and then added a layup as the Huskies took a 52-37 lead with 14:16 to play.
Coit went 9-of-15 from the floor in the contest, including 4-of-8 from three.
A pair of buckets from Nutter helped ignited an 8-2 Huskie burst as Coit added a basket and Anthony Crump made a pair of free throws as NIU pushed its lead to 61-41 with 9:31 left.
Crump finished with five points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Despite having each of its three tallest players fouled out for the final 6:36 of the contest, playing the remainder of the game with no one taller than 6-foot-6, NIU held Central Michigan to just 26.9 percent (7-of-26) shooting in the second half.
Taylor led the Chippewas with 15 points and 11 rebounds, Markus Harding added 11 points.
COLLEGE PLAYER MAKES LAYUP WITH SHOE OFF
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