By Woodrow Carroll
When two even teams go all out, it can be an exciting game. That was the case Saturday when the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team played host to Central Michigan in a key Mid-American Conference (MAC) game.
It took an overtime before Northern Illinois, 16-11 and 9-5, MAC, prevailed, 82-81. The victory left the Huskies in first place in the MAC’s West Division entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
The Pack the Place promotion at the Convocation Center in DeKalb for both the women’s and men’s teams was successful.
The Northern Illinois women kept it close before falling to Central Michigan, 70-66.
Attendance for Saturday was 3,016, more than double the previous best, 1,492, at the Convo Center this season. The crowd was treated to plenty of action.
Saturday was the first overtime this season for the Northern Illinois men.
Not that the Huskies haven’t come close to overtime previously.
In Northern Illinois’ 14 MAC games, 12 have been decided by seven points or less.
Eugene German, the Huskies’ six-foot senior guard, scored 23 points in the victory over the Chippewas. Earlier this season, German became Northern Illinois’ all-time scoring leader and after scoring 23 points in the defeat at Central Michigan, 68-67. He raised his career point total to 2,114 Saturday. T.J. Lux scored 1,996 points in the 1990s.
Against Central Michigan, German was only eight of 24 from the field.
However, down the stretch, German hit a many key baskets. Biggest of all were German’s two fieldgoals in the final minute of regulation to send the game into overtime. He has averaged 20.1 points this season and leads the MAC West in scoring.
Although not physically imposing, German collected nine rebounds and matched teammate Lacey James, 6-9, for team best.
German, from Gary, Ind. went to high school at 21st Century Charter School. He led all Indiana high schools in scoring both his junior year with 32 points per game and senior year with 33.5 points per game. Yet, he ended up at a mid-major school, Northern Illinois. This week’s road games in Michigan at Eastern Michigan Tuesday and at Western Michigan Saturday will conclude the road portion of the MAC schedule. Northern Illinois will complete MAC games the first week of March with home games against Toledo Tuesday, March 3, and Ball State Friday, March 6.