Late Comeback Falls Short In MAC-Opening Loss To Northern Illinois, 73-72

Saturday, January 4

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Late Comeback Falls Short In MAC-Opening Loss To Northern Illinois, 73-72

1/4/2020 5:26:00 PM | Men's Basketball

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BUFFALO, NY – Northern Illinois's Trendon Hankerson hit a pair of free throws with 20 seconds remaining as the Huskies held off a late Buffalo charge, handing the Bulls a 73-72 loss in the first Mid-American Conference game for both teams. The loss also snapped UB's three-game winning streak.

The Bulls trailed for most of the afternoon as Northern Illinois led for just shy of 35 minutes of action. The Huskies led by as many as 12 in the second half and continued to lead in double figures with just 3:53 left when the Bulls made their late run.

A three from senior Davonta Jordan began a stretch of nine straight points from the Bulls, pulling them within one with 1:57 left. UB continued to trail by one with just 34 seconds left when junior Jayvon Graves was fouled, hitting a pair of free throws, giving the Bulls a 72-71 lead, the first time they had the lead since the 9:05 mark of the opening half.

The Bulls continued to lead by a point until Hankerson drove the lane with 20 seconds left to put NIU back ahead with the two free throws. Buffalo had another chance but Jordan's layup fell short, sending NIU back to the free throw line. After the Huskies missed a pair, Jordan's heave from past half court hit the front iron and fell just short.

Buffalo never held more than a three-point lead in the contest, which it had just three and a half minutes in. The two teams found themselves tied at 28-28 with 6:02 left in the opening half when NIU scored nine straight to take the 37-28 lead. The Huskies led by as many as 11 during the first 20 minutes of action.

"Give Northern Illinois a lot of credit," said head coach Jim Whitesell. "I thought our guys did a really good job getting back into the press and doing a good job of fighting through it. But like I just told our players, every point counts. Every possession counts."

Four UB players scored in double figures, led by 17 points from sophomore Jeenathan Williams, who added eight rebounds, seven of those coming on the offensive end.

Graves had 16 points, six rebounds, and four steals, while sophomore Josh Mballa finished with his second straight double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Jordan concluded the night with 11 points, three rebounds, and a game-high five assists.

Sophomore Ronaldo Segu had eight points off the bench, to go along with a pair of assists.

Buffalo forced NIU into 17 turnovers, but the Huskies got a pair of big performances from the MAC's leading scorer Eugene German, who had 26 points, and Lacey James, who added 18 points and 13 rebounds.

After being hindered by turnovers the last few games, the Bulls turned it over just six times, including just once in the second half.

With the five-game homestand in the books, the Bulls will head on the road to begin a two-game road trip at Ball State on Tuesday night.