Monday March 7, 2016
NorthernStar
.info
Volume 116 Issue 45
HISTORY Basketball wins 20, first time since 1996 Krystal Ward Staff writer
DeKalb | Men’s basketball (2011, 9-9 MAC) defeated Ball State University (19-12, 10-8 MAC) 80-69 on Friday to capture its first 20-win season since the 1995-96 season, the fourth time in school history the team has reached that plateau. Hot shooting guided the Huskies in the win. The team shot better from the three-point line (58.3 percent) than they did on free throws (42.9 percent) and shot 50.8 percent (30-59) overall for the game. Ball State senior guard Ryan Weber and NIU junior guard Aaric Armstead went backand-forth on a couple of threepointers with close to 13 minutes to play in the first half. Freshman guard Laytwan Porter joined in with a three of his own to put the Huskies up 16-14 with 12:51 to play in the period. The Huskies started to create some space when they took a 25-19 lead on a three by freshman guard Marshawn
Wilson, heading into halftime leading 37-29. NIU’s hot shooting continued in the second half when Armstead knocked down a three in the opening 35 seconds to put the team up 40-32. Freshman wing Levi Bradley went on his own run, scoring 10 points in just more than two minutes to extend the Huskies’ lead to 54-40.
“
I thought the guys rallied behind both guys. We shared the ball, we defended and we just found a way to win the game.” Mark Montgomery Men’s basketball head coach
A three by sophomore forward Sean Sellers pulled the Cardinals within 11 with 10:55 left to play. Ball State chipped the lead back to nine on a three-pointer by sophomore guard Jeremie Tyler, but it was as close as the Cardinals came to getting back into the game. NIU tied a school record with 14 three-pointers. The team dished out 16 assists and had just eight turnovers for the game. The Huskies bench also came up huge, scoring 24 points.
Armstead led the team with 14 points and senior guard Travon Baker and senior forward Chuks Iroegbu were solid in their final regular season home game. It was Senior Night and the Huskies honored Baker and Iroegbu with plaques of their jerseys. Iroegbu had 12 points on 5-5 shooting from the field and a steal. Baker finished with 11 points, four assists and three steals. The Huskies held the Cardinals to 44.6 percent shooting (25-56) and scored 10 points off of 13 Ball State turnovers. Junior forward Franko House led the visitors with 19 points. “It’s always hard to play on Senior [Night] and I thought [Baker and Iroegbu] played well, played hard,” said NIU head coach Mark Montgomery. “I thought the guys rallied behind both guys. We shared the ball, we defended and we just found a way to win the game. “We’re coming off a tough loss at Eastern [Michigan] at the buzzer and I thought our guys didn’t flinch and they got this thing done on short notice. [I’m] just proud of our guys because to say they’re one of not many teams to get 20 wins at this university and it’s a big step in the right direction.”
NIU to host MAC tournament kick-off Krystal Ward Staff writer
DeKalb | Men’s basketball (2011, 9-9 MAC) will open the first round of the MAC Tournament on Monday against Western Michigan University, the first time NIU has hosted a first round MAC Tournament game since 2014. The 2016 MAC Men’s Basketball Tournament will be held in
Cleveland this year at Quicken Loans Arena from Thursday to Saturday and NIU now has tickets on sale for the tournament. Tickets are $34 per round and can be purchased at the Convocation Center, by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or online at NIUHuskies.com. Tickets to the tournament are available to NIU students for a discounted rate of $10 per round. The
Online
Inside
The Northern Star is the student-run news organization serving NIU and the surrounding community. Classifieds Puzzles
10 9
Crime Opinion
4 8
Sports Scene
10 6
first 100 students at the NIU table at the Arcade Entrance of Quicken Loans Arena each day will receive this special pricing. To receive the ticket, students must present a valid NIU student OneCard. First Round: Today Game 1: Eastern Michigan University vs. University of Toledo, 6:30 p.m.
Facebook: Facebook.com/NIUNorthernStar Twitter and Snapchat: NIUNorthernStar Email: Editor@NorthernStar.info App: iTunes App Store and Google Play Store
Game 2: Kent State University vs. Bowling Green State University, 6 p.m. Game 3: NIU vs. Western Michigan, 7 p.m. Game 4: Ball State University vs. Miami University, 6 p.m. Quarterfinals Time: TBD Date: Thursday
Place: Cleveland
Semifinals Time: TBD Date: Friday Place: Cleveland Final Time: 7:30 p.m. Date: Saturday Place: Cleveland
Editorial: Students should vote early
Before students head home or to their spring break destinations next week, they should vote early in the 2016 primary election to make sure their voice is heard. Read more on Page 8.