ROCK HILL, South Carolina — Matt Majkrzak made his Northern Illinois and Division I head-coaching debut at 3 a.m. ET on Monday. While his Huskies never led, they had an opportunity to win at the buzzer but fell just short as Grambling State escaped with an 89-87 win in the Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon.
In the first half, it was the Isaiah Miranda show. Interior size and physicality are question marks for Northern Illinois entering the season, and Patrick Crarey pressed the issue immediately, working the 7-foot-2 big man into Grambling’s offense early and often.
At the first media timeout, Miranda already had five points, with Dwayne Harris adding seven points of his own in the game’s first few minutes.
For the Huskies, Max Weisbrod and the 3-point shot led the charge out of the gates. Weisbrod didn’t score until he connected on a free throw in the final minute of the half, but the fifth-year guard notched five of his eight assists before the under-12 timeout and was the catalyst in everything Northern Illinois did offensively early on.
Miranda, amidst a dominant first half offensively, changed the game on the defensive end as well, blocking two shots in the first 20 minutes, preventing Northern Illinois from getting anything easy around the rim.
Despite the size deficit and struggles around the rim as the pace picked up, the Huskies were able to stay afloat offensively thanks to the 3-point shot.
Trevor Polite broke the seal with a triple to begin the game for Northern Illinois and led the team with eight points at the half. He, Nino Carter-Smith and Jack Daugherty each knocked down two shots from deep in the first half.
Following Daugherty’s second three of the game to cut the Grambling lead to 28-27, Miranda took the game over. The former four-star recruit scored 11 points to close the half, bringing his total to 20 points. He did so in a number of ways, playing as a roller, posting up and stepping out on the perimeter and making 3-pointers.
The Huskies had no answer for Miranda and committed six turnovers to the Tigers’ four, but still found themselves down just seven at halftime, trailing 43-36.
Beginning the second half, it was much of the same. Miranda had a dunk and another 3-pointer in the half’s opening minutes, but 3-pointers from Weisbrod and Colin Hardrick helped Northern Illinois stay attached.
The Huskies drew within four at 54-50, but even when Miranda went to the bench, they couldn’t establish a rhythm offensively and after a field-goal drought of more than five minutes, Grambling’s lead had grown to double digits at 65-53.
When Miranda went to the bench for the second time in the half, however, Northern Illinois made its run. Weisbrod and Polite each scored at the rim, then Bennett Basich hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to 65-60.
A David Douglas Jr. 3-pointer brought the Huskies within two just a few minutes later, but once again, it was Miranda with the answer, hitting a three of his own, pushing him to 29 points on the night and extending the lead back to five.
Douglas, who is expected to be one of the go-to offensive options for the Huskies this season, added four more second half points with a pair of free throws and a dunk, followed by a Weisbrod 3-pointer which brought Northern Illinois within one at the final media timeout.
With Miranda on the bench late, Pierce looked to put an exclamation mark on a season-opening win, converting on a clutch-and-one before throwing down a poster dunk. But after a 3-pointer from Douglas, the game remained within a possession at 85-82 with 1:31 to play.
Pierce, making yet another big play, found a rolling Mekhi Fitts for an and-one with 40 seconds to play, but Basich responded almost immediately with an and-one of his own, keeping the game within one possession with 35 seconds to play.
In the closing seconds, after a missed free throw from Chancellor Perkins, Weisbrod had a look at a game-winner, but it was no good as Grambling escaped 89-87.