On Tuesday, Feb. 4, NEIU’s Golden Eagles men’s basketball team visited East-West University to face off against its team.
The game started well for NEIU as their defensive pressure and success with three-point shots gave them an early lead. At one point, they lead the game by four points.
As the game wore on, East-West’s size advantage became a challenge for NEIU. It was increasingly difficult for NEIU to get in close. Thus, long-range shots became one of the few tools they could rely on. This allowed East-West to quickly close the gap and take the lead.
The point deficit grew to 22 in favor of East-West University’s team, who eventually won the game.
NEIU’s tenacity did not go unnoticed, however, as they had multiple opportunities to give up but instead continued fighting and cut the deficit by over ten points. Though NEIU ultimately lost the game 58-68, they showed significant improvement and promise for future games.
Player Reactions
In an interview, Preston Davis (No. 44), a physical education major, shared with the Independent his thoughts on what NEIU’s team could improve, “We gotta have better conditioning—that’s it.” He also commented on how East-West’s size advantage was hard to overcome and how being short on players was demotivating.
In his closing statements, Davis mentioned that he hoped to improve his success with open shots and conditioning, just like the rest of his teammates.
Player No. 14, Wes Baker, a physical education major, shared his thoughts on what made NEIU successful, “Honestly, playing free is something we talk about a lot, like not worrying too much about whether we’re making mistakes, being aggressive, look to score [and] look to find your teammates.” Baker also noted that maintaining this mindset throughout the entire game was key.
Baker mentioned that NEIU’s team needs to improve its cardiovascular endurance, shoot with confidence and find open shooters more effectively.
Mike Pantazis (No. 23), an elementary education major, maintained a positive attitude despite the loss. “Honestly, I thought we played well today, especially for being outsized,” Pantazis said. “I think just knowing they had one really good shooter, and they caught fire late—and just knowing when to be around him and rotate better to stop him from getting shots up and other than that, I thought we played well especially being undersized.”
When it comes to the improvements that could be made in NEIU’s next game, “I mean, not much. I thought me and Preston playing big because we did pretty well—just boxing out and getting as many boards as we can,” Pantazis said. “But there’s nothing that you could teach to beat size, just playing harder, I guess.” Despite the challenges, he remained optimistic about his team’s performance.
Opposing Coach’s Perspective
East-West’s coach, Tommie Posley, shared his thoughts on both teams’ performances, “We didn’t play any real good defense at all.” Continuing, “We missed a lot of shots that we normally should have made—we didn’t rebound the ball that well—[NEIU] actually played better than us,” Posley said. “[NEIU] made shots, [and] they started off great!”
Posley noted that the early lead East-West built in the first half gave them enough of a cushion to just stay ahead throughout the game.
He also praised NEIU’s teamwork, saying, “They did really great at moving the basketball and passing the basketball. They play great together—they set good screens—they look for, [and] they find an open man, so they did some pretty good stuff, but they moved the basketball really great. I like the way they moved the basketball around. I like the way they played together and shared the ball.”
Posley believed NEIU has a solid foundation and a bright future ahead. When the Independent reached out to NEIU’s Coach Derek Ansong, he declined to comment.
