Northern Illinois used precision shooting including 12
three-point baskets to hand Texas A&M-Corpus Christi its first
loss of the season in taking the 2004 Flint Hills Resources
Islander Invitational championship.
Northern Illinois took a 73-67 win over the Islanders (8-3),
handing them their first home loss of the season.
The Huskies (5-4) shot 56.5 percent from the field that included
70.8 percent in the second half to pull away in the closing minutes
of the game. NIU?s Anthony Maestranzi poured in 19 points,
including hitting five of eight from three point range in garnering
tournament most valuable player honors.
Northern Illinois hit its shots when they needed to, connecting on
nine of 10 free throws for the game, including hitting four of four
freebies with under 30 seconds to play to seal the victory.
The Islanders looked like they had control of the game when Travis
Bailey connected on a driving layup to give TAMUCC a 13-point lead
with 17:17 to play in the game. Bailey finished with a game-high 24
points, hitting 10-18 from the field to earn all-tournament
honors.
Northern Illinois, led by a trio of players that finished in
double-figures with Todd Peterson and Mike McKinney putting in 19
and 13 respectively. The Huskies chipped away at the A&M-Corpus
Christi lead, eventually taking the lead for good with 3:42 to play
when McKinney drove in for a layup. Both Peterson and McKinney were
named to the all-tournament team.
Corey Lamkin, the other Islander named to the all-tournament team
finished with 15 points on six of 10 shooting with three
rebounds.
The home loss marks the first this season and just the fourth over
the past two seasons. TAMUCC will try to bounce back Saturday when
they host Chicago State at 7 p.m.
