Men’s basketball looks to stop road woes
Sophomore center Andrew Zelis attempts a shot from inside the paint. The Huskies dominated Western Michigan, despite a late surge from the opposition, to win 76-67 on Saturday.
February 29, 2016
Men’s basketball (19-10, 8-8 MAC) will hit the road for the final time this regular season when it takes on Eastern Michigan University (15-14, 7-9 MAC) with a chance at 20 wins.
NIU has not fared well on the road this season, posting a 3-9 record away from the Convocation Center. The Huskies have lost their last seven road games and their last road win was Jan. 12 against the University of Toledo.
Eastern Michigan is 12-3 at home this season and suffered its last home loss on Jan. 23 against Ball State. The Eagles have won five consecutive homes game since.
The last meeting between the Huskies and Eagles was on Jan. 9 when NIU pulled away late in the contest for an 80-63 win at home. NIU head coach Mark Montgomery said that was the first time NIU looked comfortable playing against EMU’s zone.
NIU senior guard Travon Baker tied his career-high 25 points and drained a career-best seven three-pointers. Freshman center James Thompson IV led the Eagles with 23 points and eight rebounds.
EMU
• EMU is first in the MAC in steals, averaging 9.8 per game. EMU is also first in the MAC in turnover margin, with a +3.58 margin.
• Last in the MAC in scoring defense, averaging 73.8 points per game.
• Third in blocked shots in the MAC, averaging 3.8 per game.
• Thompson IV is first in the MAC in rebounding, averaging 11.2 per game. Thompson is also first in the MAC in field goal percentage (67 percent). Thompson is third in the MAC in blocked shots, averaging 1.6 per game.
• Junior guard Ty Toney and sophomore guard Tim Bond are one-two in the MAC in steals. Toney is averaging 1.8 per game and Bond is averaging 1.7 per game.
NIU
• NIU is second in steals in the MAC, averaging 7.3 per game. NIU is also second in the MAC in offensive rebounds, averaging 12.5 per game.
• Tied for first in the MAC in defensive rebounds, averaging 27.4 per game.
• Sophomore center Marin Maric is tied for fourth in the MAC in rebounding, averaging 8.3 per game.
• Junior guard Michael Orris is second in the MAC in assist/turnover ratio, with a +2.2 ratio.
• Baker is fifth in the MAC in assists, averaging four per game and is also tied for fifth in steals, averaging 1.4 per game.