NIU men’s basketball interim coach Andy Greer felt relieved that his Huskies finally snapped a nine-game losing streak.

The Huskies defeated Eastern Michigan 62-57, putting them at 5-20 for the season and 4-12 in the Mid-American Conference.

“It feels great to end those streaks,” Greer said. “Our team was determined to end the streaks. They stayed focused and came up with the big plays we needed at the end.”

Senior forward Steve Determan’s 3-pointer with 1:49 remaining in the game sealed the Huskies’ victory over the Eagles (3-22, 1-15). The win gives NIU the season sweep.

Leon Rodgers scored 13 of his team-high 19 points. The junior forward was limited to three shots in the first half. Determan added a season-high 13 points on 5-of-7 from the floor including 3-of-4 from the three-point line.

“I’m really happy for Steve,” said Greer. “He’s been here a long time and he deserves to have success like that. The last couple of years, through his injuries, he didn’t have a lot of confidence. But he has grown and has gained a lot of confidence now. He also played some great defense, which was very important.”

NIU shot 54 percent from the floor in the second half and held Eastern Michigan to 41 percent for the game.

The Huskies and EMU were dead-locked at 26 going into halftime, despite NIU’s 14 turnovers in the first half, which led to 24 of the Eagles’ 26 points.

“The first 20 minutes was ugly with the 14 turnovers,” Greer said. “I felt blessed to be tied at halftime. In the second half we made some nice adjustments and only had five turnovers. That was a big difference.”

Al Sewasciuk scored 8 points, while Mike Brown and Matt Nelson added seven apiece. Senior guard Stephen Jones pulled down 11 rebounds and scored 4

points. Eastern Michigan’s Melvin Hicks and C.J. Grantham scored a team-high 17 points apiece, while Ryan Prillman added 10.