OXFORD, Ohio | A three-point loss begins the mid-way point of the conference schedule for the NIU men’s basketball team.

The Huskies fell to Miami on Tuesday in Ohio by a score of 62-59.

NIU (4-16 Overall, 1-7 MAC) took a second-half six-point lead on a lay up by junior forward Egan Grafel at the 8:08 mark.

But Miami (9-11, 5-3) battled back and gained a slim margin until senior center James Hughes hit a jumper to give NIU a 58-57 lead with 2:34 left to play.

The lead would be short lived, and the last NIU would own, as Miami closed the game out on a 7-2 run.

“Any close game always comes down to possessions,” NIU coach Rob Judson said. “We felt we had enough good possessions, we needed one more to go our way. We got a big defensive stop to give us a chance to win. Unfortunately, our guys weren’t rewarded for their great effort.”

The Redhawks took the lead for good with 1:51 to play on a lay up from senior forward Nathan Peavy.

An even-pitched battle throughout, NIU shot 60 percent from three-point land – an improvement from a season average of 33 percent. Miami was held to 41 percent shooting from downtown.

Senior guard Mike McKinney had a game-high 20 points, shot a proficient 8 of 13 from the field, and nailed 4 of 6 three pointers.

“We are going to keep doggedly pursuing becoming better in this league,” Judson said in reference to the attitude of his team. “We look forward to going to Buffalo and competing.”

It has been announced that NIU will host an ESPNU Bracket-Buster Game against UW-Green Bay (12-10, 4-5 Horizon League) at 2 p.m. Feb. 17, at the Convocation Center.