• Blog
  • About Us
  • Links
  MAC Reporter Online

Stretch run sends Huskies past Toledo

1/13/2016

 
Picture
TOLEDO, Ohio – Tied with just under four minutes to play, the Northern Illinois Huskies used a 12-5 run to pull away for a 71-66 win at Toledo on Tuesday night at Savage Arena. Senior Travon Baker scored a team-high 23 points and had five steals while sophomore Marin Maric added 16 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Huskies improved to 14-2 overall, 3-0 in Mid-American Conference play.

Freshman Marshawn Wilson added 10 points and senior Chuks Iroegbu chipped in nine points as the Huskies won at Toledo for the second consecutive season.


“Credit our guys, we found a way to win,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “We got down, we came back and we .  .  .

.  .  . just kept plugging. (Travon) Baker and (Marin) Maric had big games again, I’m happy for our guys.

“It was about who was going to make plays down the stretch and our senior, Travon Baker, made some huge plays. Credit Chuks (Iroegbu) as well; he had two great drives late to the basket. We will take it however we can get it on the road because it is never easy.”

SEE-SAW GAME
NIU overcame a 16-shot advantage at the free-throw line by Toledo as the Rockets went 21-of-27 from the line, while the Huskies went just 9-of-11. The Huskie bench scored 24 points, while the Rocket reserves scored just eight points in a game that featured 12 ties and 15 lead changes.

A pair of free throws by Toledo (10-6, 1-2 MAC) stopped an 8-2 Huskie run and pulled the Rockets even, 59-59, with 3:51 left. A layup by Maric and a layup by Iroegbu, sandwiched, around a triple by Toledo’s Nathan Boothe, put the Huskies in front, 63-62, with just under two to play.

Boothe then drove the basket for another layup, pushing the Rockets back in front but Iroegbu drove to the basket for another bucket for the Huskies, giving NIU a 65-64 lead with just over a minute to play.

BIG TURNOVER
The Huskies forced a Toledo turnover on the next possession and, after a timeout, NIU got Wilson an uncontested dunk on an out of bounds play from midcourt to give NIU a 67-64 lead with 26 seconds left.

Following another turnover by the Rockets, Baker knocked down a pair from the line, giving the Huskies a five-point lead with 15 seconds left, putting the game out of reach.

Boothe finished with a game-high 30 points for the Rockets; Jonathan Williams added 21 points but no other Rocket recorded more than six points.

FIRST HALF ACTION
NIU raced out to an early seven-point lead, 12-5, in the opening five minutes. Baker scored eight of NIU’s first 12, including a pair of triples. Toledo answered with a 10-2 run to give the Rockets a 15-14 edge with 9:14 to play in the first half.

A layup by freshman Jaylen Key and a pair of triples from Wilson pushed the lead back to the Huskies, 22-15, until Toledo scored the next seven to pull back even, 22-22, with just under five minutes to play before the intermission.

The lead swung back-and-forth over the final five minutes with the Huskies pulling even on a jumper by Baker with 38 seconds to play before the break. NIU got a defensive stop and Armstead kissed a jumper off glass just before the horn to give the Huskies a 34-32 lead at the break.

Baker paced the Huskies with 12 points in the opening 20 minutes; Williams led Toledo with 13.  

POST INTERMISSION BURST

Toledo scored the first six out of the half, but NIU answered with seven-straight, four by Maric and an old-fashioned three-point play from Iroegbu as the Huskies went back in front, 41-38.

After a basket by Wilson gave the Huskies a two-point lead, 46-44, the Rockets responded with the next eight to lead by a half-dozen, 52-46, just past the midway point of the second half.

Baker answered the Toledo spurt with a triple to cut the lead in half. After Toledo scored to move back in front by four, 55-51, the Huskies went on an 8-2 run to take a 59-57 lead with 4:13 to play. Baker knocked down a pair of triples and Maric made a layup to push the Huskies back in front, setting up the game’s final minutes.
 
NEXT: Northern Illionois is at Western Michigan Saturday (7 p.m. ET). Toledo hosts Akron Friday (7 p.m. ET).
 
(Courtesy of NIU Athletics)

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    MAC Football 

    UPCOMING GAMES
    All times Eastern

    ​

    MAC FOOTBALL STANDINGS
    -- Final - 2022 -- 
    MAC EAST
    OHIO 7-1
    BUFFALO 5-3
    BOWLING GREEN 5-3

    MIAMI 4-4
    KENT STATE 4-4
    AKRON 1-7

    MAC WEST
    TOLEDO 5-3

    EASTERN MICHIGAN 5-3
    WESTERN MICHIGAN 4-4
    ​BALL STATE 3-5
    CENTRAL MICHIGAN 3-5

    NORTHERN ILLINOIS 2-6

    MAC Basketball 
    MAC BASKETBALL STANDINGS
    (Through 3-3-23)

    Team - MAC -- Overall
    Toledo 16-2 (25-6)
    Kent State 15-3 (25-6)
    Akron 13-5 (21-10)
    Ball State 11-7 (20-11)
    Ohio 10-8 (18-13)
    Buffalo 9-9 (15-16)
    Northern Illinois 9-9 (13-18)
    Miami 6-12 (12-19)
    Bowling Green 5-13 (11-20)
    Central Michigan 5-13 (10-21)
    Eastern Michigan 5-13 (8-23)
    Western Michigan 4-14 (8-23)

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Basketball
    Football
    Other

    Archives

    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