The men’s basketball team came away with another impressive victory this weekend, beating Northern Illinois 69-61. Their win streak now stands at three, their longest of the season.
After a sluggish start to a season that has seen the Falcons struggle during the second halves of games, and on the road, where they started 0-7, the team has really started to turn things around.
“Our guys, they’re learning that you just have to stay on the grind,” head coach Louis Orr said. “You don’t have to play perfect, you just have to keep playing.”
The Falcons, now 11-9 (4-3 Mid-American Conference), played a first half typical of them, where they matched the Huskies point for point and went into the break trailing 35-34.
In weeks past a first half such as this likely would have doomed the Falcons to a certain loss. This time, however, things turned out differently.
BG came out of the locker room and started the second half strong and three minutes into the half they took the lead and never trailed again.
They were tied though, with 6:50 to play in the game, after NIU went on an 8-0 run.
That was when the Falcons came alive. On their next trip down the floor, Joe Jakubowski scored on a runner to give the Falcons the advantage.
After Darryl Clements and Otis Polk traded buckets, Polk finished the 11-0 run of with a three point play after being fouled on a dunk. Polk’s play was an appropriate “exclamation point” ending to the run and the game.
The Huskies weren’t able to make a second comeback, and the Falcons picked up their second road win in as many weeks.
“In the end we made some stops, hit some free throws and I think that was the difference in the game,” Orr said.
Polk’s play in the game, and especially down the stretch, should serve as a major confidence boost for a team that lost center Marc Larson earlier in the week. Polk needed to pick his game up in the absence of his fellow big man, and in his first two chances, he has shined.
Nate Miller also came up big for the Falcons, bouncing back after a slow game against Ball State in which he went 2-8 from the field and scored only seven points. Against NIU, Miller led all scorers with 15 points, and continued to establish his identity as the Falcons most consistent offensive weapon.
“We’ve had some seniors step up,” Orr said. “I thought Nate Miller showed great leadership down the stretch.”
The win against NIU comes one week after the Falcons played a great second half to upset Ohio last week in Athens. For a team that started the season 0-7 on the road, these two wins have them looking like a team ready to turn a corner.
