4,719 fans filled the seats of the George Gervin GameAbove Center on Jan. 21, to witness the Eastern Michigan Eagles (4-15, 1-5 MAC) take on the Huskies of Northern Illinois (7-12, 3-3 MAC). Saturday’s crowd ranks as the largest crowd the MAC and the George Gervin GameAbove Center has seen this season.
Among those in attendance at Saturday’s game was EMU Hall of Fame head coach and three-time MAC Coach of the Year Ben Braun who served as an analyst for the ESPN3 broadcast.
During his time as head coach Braun helped the Eagles win three MAC regular season titles, three MAC tournament titles, and secured the Eagles a trip to the 1991 NCAA Sweet 16.
Leading the Eagles in scoring were Noah Farrakhan and Tyson Acuff with a total of 44 points combined against NIU.
Farrakhan posted a season high of 26 points, three steals, and recorded a career high eight rebounds off the bench for the Eagles.
Acuff, who has scored 10+ points 11 times this year tallied 18 points and two steals against the Huskies.
Grad student Derek Ballard Jr. knocked down a three-pointer from the corner and had three rebounds, one steal, and one block for the green and white.
Out the gate, the Eagles struggled to keep up with the Huskies trailing 50-31 going into halftime. Unfortunately, the Eagles weren’t able to make a second half comeback as the Huskies continued to widen the gap during the second half.
Despite the effort from the Eagles’ defense forcing 13 turnovers and grabbing 30 rebounds compared to Northern Illinois' 28, and turning 11 of those rebounds into eight points the Eagles would ultimately lose 88-67.
Next, the Eagles will face the University of Toledo Tuesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. inside Savage Arena. Fans can watch the game live from home on CBS Sports Network.
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