Northeastern Illinois used two big scoring spurts to put away Division III Cornell College 94-53 in the Golden Eagles’ season opener Monday.
Five put-back baskets, three by Shannon Greene and two by Reggie Smith, fueled a 17-0 run in the last six minutes of the first half to power Northeastern to a 36-17 halftime edge.
The Golden Eagles distanced the visiting Rams with a 19-2, 4 1/2-minute second-half streak. Freshman Maurice Madison hit two three pointers and Smith, a preseason All-East Coast Conference selection, added three baskets to give Northeastern Illinois a commanding 61-23 lead with 12 minutes 27 seconds left in the game.
Smith led five Northeastern double-digit scorers with 15 points. Greene added 11 points and eight rebounds.
Gregg Teisinger led Cornell (3-1) with 18 points. The Rams shot only 36 percent from the field.
The next game for Northeastern (1-0) is Wednesday at Oklahoma.
