The Eastern Michigan Eagles defeated the Northern Illinois Huskies in a stunning display of offensive futility, 42-25, on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies nearly set the NCAA record for fewest points scored in a game during the shot clock era, but avoided the mark with some garbage time buckets.
Northern Illinois seemed well on its way to the record for fewest points scored in a game after a rough start, but the Eagles gave up some easy baskets late. The current record for fewest points in a game was set by Saint Louis in a 48-20 loss to George Washington in 2008.
It wasn't a record-free performance by the Huskies, though. Having made just 8-of-61 shots from the field, the team's 13.3 percent shooting percentage is the worst single game mark in NCAA history. NIU made 1-of-33 shots from three-point range, missing numerous second-chance opportunities afforded by the team's 23 offensive rebounds.
The Huskies were especially bad offensively in the first half, scoring just four points as they shot an incredible 1-of-32 from the field. After an early bucket from Abdel Nader, Northern Illinois proceeded to miss 36 consecutive shots, needing nearly 24 minutes to make their next field goal.
No player on Northern Illinois made more than three shots, as Daveon Balls led the team in scoring with seven points on 3-of-10 shooting.
Eastern Michigan wasn't much better from an offensive standpoint, making just 37 percent of its shots while turning the ball over 15 times. Eagles forward Glenn Bryant led all scorers with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting, but only one other player on the team scored more than five points.