Marcus Smallwood wasn’t going to rely on the NIU men’ s basketball’s seven-game winning streak at the Convocation Center in Wednesday’s game against Eastern Michigan.

Smallwood scored 22 points in the Huskies’ 86-65 win over the Eagles, after scoring 22 points against Bowling Green on Jan. 10. Smallwood had not posted 20 or more points in consecutive games since his sophomore year.

“We haven’t lost here at home, and we wanted to keep that going,” Smallwood said.

Other than keeping a home winning streak alive, the Huskies (7-8 overall, 2-3 MAC) needed a win to keep the fans behind the team, NIU coach Rob Judson said.

“It was good to be in the Convocation Center with the home fans,” Judson said.

Judson’s “energized defense” held Eastern Michigan (6-6, 1-3) to 37.3 percent shooting from the field. The Eagles shot 2-of-19 from behind the three-point line, which Judson attributed to the perimeter defense.

Perry Smith and Todd Peterson added 19 and 16 points, respectively.

Smith led the team in three-pointers, going 4-of-5 from behind the line. The Huskies shot 52.9 percent from three-point range.

“We came out of the gate fired up,” Smith said. “That was the difference between this game and last game.”

NIU lost against Bowling Green 76-69 last week. With losses to teams like Notre Dame and Iowa, Judson said the Huskies’ record doesn’t reflect their level of play.

“In the MAC, records never matter,” Judson said. “To win, you have to play hard in any game. I believe the home court is a really powerful advantage this year. The tough part is going on the road.”