Kent State University
2-511-10 < MAC>
Northern Illinois
5-14 (3-4MAC)
Northern Illinois hands Kent State its fourth consecutive loss
1/30/2013 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Box score (.pdf)
DEKALB, Ill. – Abdel Nader hit an 18-foot fallaway with two seconds remaining to lift Northern Illinois to a 67-65 win over Kent State on Wednesday night at the Convocation Center.
The loss was the fourth in a row for the Golden Flashes, who fell to 11-10 overall and just 2-5 in Mid-American Conference play.
"We figured (Nader) would have the ball and he made a tough shot," said Kent State head coach Rob Senderoff. "He's a good player and he played very well tonight, obviously."
Nader finished with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. He was the only Huskies player to score in double figures.
After falling behind by nine points late in the second half, Kent State battled back behind three three-pointers by Devareaux Manley in the final 2:09. His last with 31 seconds to play deadlocked the score at 65-65.
"Those three shots obviously were big to get us back in the game," said Senderoff. "But we didn't play the way we needed to do to win. Northern Illinois deserves credit. They played very hard."
Kent State was just 3-for-21 as a team from beyond the three-point arc prior to Manley's late barrage. As a team, the Golden Flashes shot just 39-percent from the field.
"I think our shot selection had a lot to do with that," said Senderoff. "We did not have very good shot selection at all."
Darren Goodson recorded his first double-double in a Kent State uniform, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Kris Brewer added 14 points while going 10-for-10 from the foul line.
Seniors Randal Holt and Chris Evans suffered through a tough night on the road. Holt was just 4-for-17 from the field and 1-for-10 on three-point tries. Evans, who leads the Flashes in scoring (17.1 per game) and rebounding (7.4) this season, scored just seven points and did not grab a rebound in 30 minutes.
Northern Illinois (5-14, 3-4) ended an 11-game losing streak against Kent State that dated back to the 2003 season.
Kent State will try again to bounce back on Saturday when it hosts Eastern Michigan at 6 p.m. at the M.A.C. Center.
