DEKALB, Ill. – Following two-straight games on the road, the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team returns home on Saturday, Dec. 9, when the Huskies host Central Connecticut State. Game time against the Blue Devils is slated for 12 noon and will be available on ESPN3. 

Fans attending Saturday's contest can take advantage of the family meal deal concessions offer and receive a hot dog, soda and bag of chips for $7. Tickets for all Huskie basketball home games are on sale now through the NIU Athletics Ticket Office in the Convocation Center, by calling 815-753-PACK (7225) or online at NIUHuskies.com. Reserved lower bowl seats are just $10 while general admission is available for $8.

NIU (5-4) comes home following a 94-80 setback on Monday night (Dec. 4) at Iowa State. The Huskies led the Cyclones by two at halftime before Iowa State shot over 61 percent in the second half to pull away for the victory. Sophomore Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) scored a career-high 28 points against the Cyclones while junior Dante Thorpe (Washington, D.C./Triton College) added a career-best 19. 

The Huskies are currently averaging just 11.4 turnovers per game, the best mark in the Mid-American Conference and 34th nationally. Along with not committing turnovers, the Huskies are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game by their opponents, the third-best mark in the MAC. NIU's +3.6 turnover margin leads the conference and ranks 50th in the nation.

Sophomore Justin Thomas (Indianapolis, Ind./Pike) has played a large role in those numbers as he has a 2.9 assist-to-turnover ratio and has not committed a turnover since Nov. 26 against Rockford.

The Blue Devils come to DeKalb with a 5-4 overall record and will be playing their second consecutive game in the State of Illinois after falling at DePaul on Wednesday (Dec. 6), 85-57. The setback against the Blue Demons snapped a five-game winning streak for Central Connecticut State. 

Four players are scoring in double figures for the Blue Devils, led by 13.3 points per game from Tyler Kohl, who is also Central Connecticut State's leading rebounder at 7.9 boards per contest. Austin Nehls (12.9 ppg), Mustafa Jones (11.0 ppg) and Deion Bute (10.1 ppg) are also scoring in double figures for the Blue Devils. 

Following Saturday's contest, NIU will be off for nine days around finals. The Huskies will return to action on Monday, Dec. 18, when they travel to Milwaukee, Wis., to meet Marquette.