NIU upsets CMU men's basketball in double-overtime
The Central Michigan University men's basketball team blows Eastern Michigan out of the water with an 82-63 win on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in McGuirk Arena. (CM Life | Jasmine Brookins)
With 15 seconds left in double overtime Central Michigan men's basketball was forced to fall back on defense, with Northern Illinois having the final possession of the overtime.
With two seconds remaining in the game, NIU guard James Dent Jr. attempted an alley-oop lob at the rim, but the attempted pass fell into the basket, giving the Huskies a two point lead.
Only having one second left, CMU was unable to get a shot off to force a third overtime and it fell 83-81 on senior night.
"In life and in basketball you get exactly what you deserve," Barbee said. "And we deserve that tonight with our lack of attention to detail, our lack of urgency, our lack of toughness."
CMU finishes the season 14-17 and 7-11 in Mid-American Conference play. The loss officially eliminates them from the hunt for the Mid-American Conference tournament.
The night started slow for the Chippewas on both sides of the ball as NIU wasted no time drilling three straight from beyond the arc, taking a 13-4 lead only four minutes into the game.
CMU's response came from its defense as three steals turned into six points at the free throw line, allowing the Chippewas to close the gap, trailing 25-18 with 6:52 left to play in the first half.
The defense closed the half out strong as CMU outscored NIU 7-5 in the final five minutes of the half with an Anthony Pritchard dunk sending McGuirk Arena into a frenzy, but CMU still trailed 30-25 at halftime.
In the first half, CMU shot 7-25 from the field with nine of its 25 first half points coming from the free throw line.
The Chippewas came out of halftime hot, going on a 6-0 run in the first minute of the second half, taking a 31-30 lead and its first since the opening minute.
The Huskies called a timeout to disrupt CMU's momentum, allowing them to tie the game at 39 with 14:50 to go.
The teams traded baskets for ten minutes as both team's offense were ran through the free throw line with neither team able to stop fouling as 46 fouls were called in total by the end of the game. However, a tip-in by forward Jakobi Heady allowed the Chippewas to claim a 61-60 lead with 3:28 left to play.
Central Michigan held a four point lead with 1:18 left to play in the second half after a pair of free throws. It seemed like the squad from Mount Pleasant was ready to punch its ticket to Cleveland, that was until a pair of dunks by Dent Jr. in the final 30 seconds tied the game at 68 and allowed NIU to force overtime.
The first overtime was a defensive battle where each team struggled to find consistent looks, but once again found fortune at the charity stripe, with both teams only able to score six points as the clock ran out.
The second overtime started fast with both teams trading buckets, trying to outpace the other as both squads could not miss offensively.
With 17 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Pritchard knocked down a midrange look to tie the game, giving the Huskies the final possession of the overtime.
Dent Jr. attempted to lob an alley-oop to his teammate with two seconds left, but the pass fell into the basket, leaving one second on the clock as McGuirk Arena fell quiet.
CMU was unable to get a final shot off and the game finished 83-81 in favor of Northern Illinois.
"With it being the last home game, and now the last game I ever play," Pritchard said. "I'm thankful for everybody that came out."
Pritchard was one of the seniors honored in today's senior day presentation, as the star point guard played his final game in the maroon and gold jersey.
Heady led Central Michigan with 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.
James Dent Jr. led the game in scoring with 36 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
With the loss, the 2024-2025 CMU men's basketball season comes to an end in McGuirk Arena.
