In its final non-conference matchup, men’s basketball was defeated 59-47 at the hands of Eastern Illinois on Saturday.

It was a competitive first half, as the Huskies and Panthers traded the lead 11 times. The Huskies jumped out to an early 5-0 lead, but the Panthers came right back to tie the game at 6-6.

“I thought it was a hard fought first half,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “It was one of those games that was a grinder, one or two possession, lead changes.”

The Panthers took a 27-25 lead into halftime after senior guard Malcolm Herron hit a 3-point field goal.

Eastern Illinois came out hot in the second half, going on an 8-0 run to push its lead to 10, 35-25. The Panthers didn’t look back from there as they held the lead for the rest of the game.

“Eastern Illinois came out of the locker room a little better than us and went on an 8-0 run and I think that was the difference,” Montgomery said. “We have to play in three-minute segments, five-minute segments, find a way to win it down the stretch and in the second half.”

The Huskies didn’t quit as they were able to cut the deficit to three a number of times. With the score 30-40, the Huskies went on a 9-2 run to bring the score to 42-39 with 9:41 to play in the game.

Down the stretch, the Panthers played strong defense, holding the Huskies to just five points in the final nine minutes of the game, while increasing their lead to 13 points.

“We got it close, within three; we just couldn’t come up with enough stops and enough baskets,” Montgomery said.

The Panthers were led offensively by Morris Woods, who scored a game-high 18 points. Junior forward Sherman Blanford and sophomore forward Josh Piper each added nine points.

The Huskies struggled shooting from the field, as they shot 36 percent in the game. They also weren’t able to get going from the 3-point line as they shot 20 percent, making just four 3-pointers.

Sophomore wing Abdel Nader bounced back from his recent struggles, scoring a team-high 17 points in the loss. Freshman forward Darrell Bowie added in eight points.