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Box Score  |  Photo Gallery (by Sandy King)

CHARLESTON, Ill. – With the score tied at 36-36, Northern Illinois closed the first half with a 6-0 run and carried that momentum over to the second half to pull out to a double figure lead in the opening two minutes as they beat Eastern Illinois 90-70 at First Mid Court at Lantz Arena.
 
EIU tied the game at 36-36 with 2:07 left in the opening half on a 3-pointer by Cameron Haffner.  NIU answered with a jumper in the lane by Yanic Konan Niederhauser followed by a jumper by Darweshi Hunter and dunk by Keshawn Williams as time expired to put the Huskies up 42-36 at the half.
 
NIU then opened the second half with a 5-0 run capped by a three point play by Williams as he led NIU with 17 points, one of five Huskies in double figures. 
 
Kyle Thomas snapped the NIU run with a lay-up with 18:03 to play to make it 47-38.  Zarique Nutter countered with a pair of free throws for NIU and Eastern Illinois was never able to get back within single digits the remainder of the game.
 
Thomas had eight points off the bench as EIU featured a balanced scoring night playing without leading scorer Kinyon Hodges who missed the game due to a death in his family. 
 
Caleb Donaldson was the lone EIU player in double figures scoring 15 points with six assists.  Donaldson also pulled down three offensive rebounds as EIU finished the game with 11 offensive boards.
 
Both teams were hot from the floor in the opening half with NIU shooting 65 percent and EIU connecting for 62 percent.  In the second half, NIU continued to blister the nets finishing the game shooting 62 percent while EIU cooled down to 48 percent for the game.
 
NIU moved to 3-5 on the season.  Nutter and David Coit both added 16 points for the Huskies.  EIU fell to 1-7 on the year.