Nov. 5, 2009

Just five days after opening the exhibition season with a convincing 93-59 win over Aurora University (Nov. 1), the Northern Illinois men's basketball team will return to the hardwood Friday, when the Huskies host Marygrove College (Mich.) in the exhibition finale at the Convocation Center beginning at 7 p.m.

NIU head coach Ricardo Patton will be looking to further narrow down his rotation, and address some of the mishaps the Huskies committed against Aurora.

"We were able to take a look at the film from the Aurora game, and see where we made some defensive breakdowns, and some of the things we missed offensively," said Patton. "There were some situations where guys didn't make the extra pass, or didn't take the outside shot when they should have.

"We'll use Friday's game to continue to focus on the fundamental things like blocking out and rebounding the basketball effectively; the little things that help you win ball games. As a staff, we'll continue to take a look at different combinations on the floor. We definitely want to see improvement from last Sunday's game."

In his Northern Illinois debut, junior guard Xavier Silas poured in a game-high 30 points against Aurora, while junior center Sean Kowal posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, along with three blocks. The Huskies shot nearly 50 percent (.492) from the field, and spread the ball around offensively, tallying 24 assists to Aurora's nine. NIU committed 22 turnovers in the contest.

In Marygrove's other exhibition game (Nov. 1), the Mustangs fell to Mid-American Conference West Division preseason favorite Central Michigan, 85-38, at Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant, Mich. Marygrove was led by DeAundray Armstrong with 12 points. Justin McKinney and Chris Sinagoga each chipped in with six each in the loss.