Jake Anderson recorded his fourth carerr double-double
DeKALB, Ill. - Winners of seven straight before Sunday, Akron was on a Mid-American Conference roll. The Zips had won three of their previous four games by more than 20 points. Their scoring defense (58.5 points per game) ranked 11th nationally. Their scoring margin of plus-8.8 was first in the Mid-American Conference and among the top 50 in the nation. They hadn’t lost to anybody in the MAC West.
But less than 18 minutes into their game Sunday afternoon at struggling Northern Illinois, the Zips found themselves in a nightmare.
They trailed NIU by 19 points and looked even worse. NIU’s Tyler Storm (13 points, tying a career high) and Jake Anderson (24 points, 6 assists) drilled 3-pointers because they weren’t defended. Akron’s shooters put up air balls. Guard Anthony Hitchens (4 turnovers) kept sending passes to guys wearing white uniforms.
Somehow, Akron crawled back into this game to lose by only four points, 83-79, despite shooting 31 fewer free throws than NIU. The Huskies, breaking a six-game losing streak, pushed the Zips around and were ahead by 16 points before the game was 10 minutes old.
It was a backyard brawl in the schoolyard and the Zips were helpless.
“They kind of punched us in the mouth and we didn't respond very well,” Akron coach Keith Dambrot said.
The Zips missed their first eight shots and had two other attempts blocked. While the Zips shot blanks, the Huskies converted 5-of-6 3-pointers. NIU blasted Akron on the boards, getting 23 in the first half to Akron’s 13. With 2:30 left in the first half, a layup by NIU’s Sean Smith gave the Huskies a 42-23 lead.
When was the last time the Huskies led somebody by 19 points?
“Man, I can‘t even remember,” said Anderson.
Actually, NIU defeated Eastern Michigan by 20 points on Jan. 20, but sizeable leads have been a rarity for the Huskies (3-8 MAC, 7-16). They’ve lost their last eight road games, their defense is the worst in the MAC (71.7 points allowed per game) and their free-throw shooting (58.1 percent) was the worst in the nation just a couple of weeks ago.
Sunday, the Huskies made 31-of-47 free throws (66 percent, not a great number around the University of Kansas, but off the charts at NIU), while Akron went to the line just 16 times.
Considering those kind of differences in free throw numbers, Dambrot said, “You‘re just not going to win.”
With the second round of the MAC West schedule opening up Wednesday, the Huskies may be poised to make some noise in a division that features only one team (Ball State, 6-5) which has a winning record in league play. They took Kent State to two overtimes last Tuesday before losing by three points, then came Sunday‘s upset win.
NIU coach Ricardo Patton, clearly one of the MAC‘s classiest coaches, allowed himself a hearty laugh when questioned about the drama of a week in which the Huskies beat Akron and almost defeated Kent State. Don‘t be fooled. This team with three freshmen and two sophomores in its starting lineup could make life difficult for any of those offensive powers in the MAC East because those young players are finally beginning to play defense.
“The guys have improved and that‘s what it‘s about,” Patton said. “They‘re starting to believe and buy in. They know you have to play defense.”
The incredible fact about Sunday‘s game was that the Zips, mostly because of a 16-0 run in the second half when the Huskies did not play well defensively and missed all their shots, completely erased that 19-point deficit. Brett McKnight (24 points) tied the score at 75 with 1:40 left on one of his deadly jump shots. This is a team not easily put down.
“We refused to quit,” Dambrot said.
NIU converted 6-of-7 free throws down the stretch to put Akron away. Anderson hit four consecutive free throws and scored on a layup that put NIU ahead for good.
“We had to do something to hold them off,” Anderson said.
Patton said Sunday‘s win will help the team‘s confidence as they head into the final stretch of the regular season. The Huskies will play four of their final six games on the road, including Wednesday at Central Michigan.
“We like to talk to our players about their head and their heart being in the right place,” Patton said.
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