Before Tuesday night’s game against Ohio University, Northern Illinois coach Rob Judson said the Huskies must shut down Brandon Hunter.
Well, they did, winning 80-53 because of a smothering help-out zone defense that made the Mid-American Conference’s leading scorer the hunted. It was as nasty as the snowstorm outside the Convocation Center.
The Bobcats shot only 25 percent, making 14-of-56 shots, as Northern won for the ninth time in its last 10 games and improved its records to 13-9 overall and 9-3 atop the East Division of the MAC.
Hunter, at 6 feet 7 inches and 265 pounds, matched his 13-rebound average and scored only four points below his 22-point average. But most of his points came after NIU took a 20-point lead late in the first half.
“Their zone had a man-and-a-half or two men guarding me all the time,” Hunter said. “Fourteen-for-56 is terrible shooting, but their defense had a lot to do with that.”
Marcus Smallwood, a 6-7 senior, scored 17 points and was a key defender against Hunter in the zone. He blocked six shots, two of them against Hunter in the critical opening minutes.
“Hunter is a great player,” Smallwood said. “Coach told us in practice that we had to play with a man-and-a-half against him.”
For all practical purposes, the Huskies wrapped up the victory when they zipped to a 21-6 lead in the first 11 minutes. In this time, Hunter scored one basket. He shot an airball and had two shots blocked.
Then the Bobcats (7-12, 4-7) began missing from three-point range. The misses banged away from Hunter to NIU guards. P.J. Smith had six rebounds and a game-high 19 points.
