Miami University
Northern Illinois
Northern Illinois Wins Defensive Battle Over Miami, 62-58
1/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
DEKALB, Ill. -- The Miami University men's basketball team fell just short in a defensive battle as Northern Illinois took a 62-58 victory Tuesday evening. The RedHawks fall to 8-10 overall and 1-4 in the Mid-American Conference. The Huskies improve to 12-6 overall and 4-1 in the MAC.
Neither team managed a double-digit lead during the entire game. Miami's defense was strong throughout the contest, forcing NIU into 22 turnovers. However, the `Hawks were unable to take advantage offensively as they shot 38.6 percent (22-for-57) from the field and 25.0 percent (5-for-20) from behind the arc.
Freshman guard Michael Weathers again led Miami, finishing with 18 points, six assists and two steals in 35 minutes of action. Junior forward Logan McLane was one of two other RedHawks in double figures with 12 points, while junior guard Abdoulaye Harouna finished with 10.
Both teams struggled from the field early on. Layups from junior forward Rod Mills Jr. and Harouna got the RedHawks on the board. Tied at six, a three-pointer from Michael Weathers put Miami on top 9-6 with 13:15 to go. The Huskies responded with an 8-0 run, but free throws from McLane, a layup by redshirt sophomore guard Jake Wright and a jumper from Michael Weathers gave Miami the advantage back at 15-14 with 7:00 left in half.
The offenses began to pick up as Northern Illinois went on a 10-0 run to take a 24-15 advantage. Another three-pointer by Michael Weathers had the `Hawks back on the attack, while buckets from Mills and McLane helped pull the team to within seven as the Huskies took a 31-24 lead into the break.
The teams continued to trade points to begin the second half before a three pointer by Harouna and a layup by senior guard Jake Bischoff cut the deficit to four at 37-33 with 15:24 to go. After a Northern Illinois bucket, another three-pointer by Harouna made it a three-point contest at 39-36 at the 14:46 mark.
The RedHawks continued to keep the score close, but could not quite get over the hump. The Huskies pushed the advantage back to nine at 57-48 with 3:25 remaining before a layup from McLane and a three-pointer by Michael Weathers cut it down to four at the 2:17 mark. Miami got as close as three points at 61-58 after Harouna drained a pair of free throws. The Red and White held Northern Illinois without a field goal over the final 5:41, but the Huskies hit their free throws down the stretch to secure the 62-58 victory.
Miami recorded a season-high 12 steals against NIU, led by McLand with four and freshman forward Marcus Weathers with three. The Huskies held a 38-29 advantage in rebounds and were led in scoring by Eugene German with 12 points.
The RedHawks complete their two-game road trip at Central Michigan on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game can be seen live on ESPN3 with an audio broadcast available on the Miami IMG Sports Network.
