In a battle of team scoring leaders, Central Michigan knocked off the NIU men’s basketball team 66-64 in Mount Pleasant, Mich. on Thursday night.

Down two with 15 seconds left, NIU guard Xavier Silas took the ball up court with a chance to tie or take the lead. The mid-range jumper didn’t go, however, and the Huskies were sent packing with their 10th loss.

Throughout the game, CMU freshman Trey Zeigler and the Huskies’ Silas traded shots. Silas finished with 24 points, while Zeigler finished with 27.

Following some early jockeying for position, the Huskies (6-10, 2-2 MAC) put five points of distance between themselves and CMU (5-12, 2-2 MAC). Freshman Nate Rucker went on an early tear, scoring 11 points and tearing down six rebounds for the Huskies in the first half. NIU held a slim 25-23 advantage at halftime. Silas finished the first half with eight points after getting only two shots off in the first 15 minutes of the game.

Picking up where he left off, Silas scored nine points in the first seven minutes of the second half. The Huskies battled to maintain their lead, but lost their grip halfway through the second half. Zeigler sank three consecutive three-point shots and started a run that ended with the Chippewas in front by eight points. 23 of Zeigler’s 27 points came in the second half.

Slowly but surely, the Huskies caught up with CMU. JUCO transfer Tim Toler kept the Chippewas from extending their lead, scoring 12-second half points on Thursday.

“Tim’s coming along really well for us. He turned down some shots in the first half tonight,” said NIU head coach Ricardo Patton. “But in the second half he started shooting and started hitting the looks that he got.”