Dec. 2, 2009

Final Stats

DEKALB, Ill. - Junior guard Darion "Jake" Anderson surpassed the 900-career point plateau and the Northern Illinois men's basketball team (1-5) enjoyed a one-point halftime lead, but visiting Bradley (5-2) shot 68 percent from the field in the second half, and outlasted the Huskies, 63-49, at the Convocation Center Wednesday night.

Anderson's 18 points led all scorers, and marked the only double-digit output for the Huskies. Bradley was led by Andrew Warren (16 points) and Taylor Brown (15), who combined for 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting. The Huskies held the Braves to just a 36 percent (9-25) shooting effort in the first half, but compiled only a 33.3 percent (9-27) effort from the field themselves.

Bradley hit its first six shots of the second half, and ended the frame shooting 68 percent (17-25), while NIU continued to struggle converting from the field in the second stanza, shooting only 34.6 percent (9-26). The Huskies were just 1-of-20 from three-point range in the contest.

"I'm really proud of our guys that they battled, particularly in the first half," said NIU head coach Ricardo Patton. "What we've proven so far is we can play with teams...for a while. In the second half, they came out and turned the intensity up, which we knew they would do. We had turnovers that cost us layups.

"It's a matter of putting the ball in the basket. If our guards can't make shots, [our opponents] are going to play in on Sean (Kowal). It's a simple game; you've got to make shots. Even if you play good defense, at some point, you've got to make shots. If we're making shots, we can play with anyone. Our guys defensively are playing as hard as anyone.

The first half was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling to find any rhythm from the field. With the game tied 13-13 with 7:44 remaining in the opening frame, NIU strung together a quick 5-0 spurt, capped off by Anderson's first field goal, to claim an 18-13 lead.

Bradley quickly answered with a 6-0 run, and took a 19-18 advantage after a steal and ensuing transition dunk by Taylor Brown. NIU's Najul Ervin scored after an offensive rebound with 51 seconds remaining, giving the Huskies a 20-19 lead at halftime.

NIU scored the first three points of the second half, but Bradley responded with a 7-2 spree, and took a 26-25 lead with 17:49 remaining, after Brown's third field goal. The Huskies were held scoreless for the ensuing 3:05, as the Braves' lead ballooned to as many as 11 points (36-25).

Northern Illinois trimmed the lead to six points (40-34) with 10:13 remaining, but the Braves again had an answer, scoring 10-straight points to open up a 50-35 lead with 6:32 remaining. Brown and Warren scored all of Bradley's points in the stretch.

The Huskies could draw no closer than 13 points the rest of the way, eventually falling behind by 20 points (61-41) with under three minutes to play.

NIU will be idle for the next 12 days for final exams, before heading to Minneapolis to take on Minnesota on Dec. 15. The Golden Gophers will represent NIU's third Big Ten Conference foe this season.

"This is a great time [for a break]," added Patton. "We need the work time. We'll concentrate on finals, but we'll get some good work in too."