UPDATE: Thursday night's tipoff at Chicago State has been moved back 30 minutes to 7:30 p.m.

DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will play the final game of a four-game road trip on Thursday night, December 19, when the Huskies travel to Chicago State. Game time against the Cougars is slated for 7:30 p.m. and will be available online via the WAC Digital Network. 

NIU (6-5) will look to rebound from a 59-50 setback on Monday night (Dec. 16) at Pittsburgh. The Huskies led the Panthers for over 25 minutes, but Pitt closed the game with a 15-0 run to spoil NIU's upset bid at the Petersen Events Center. 

Senior guard Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) scored a game-high 18 points at Pittsburgh as he continues to lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 20.1 points per game, which ranks 34th nationally. 

Sophomore Justin Lee (Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill) scored the first points of his collegiate career on Monday night. After redshirting last season, Lee missed the first nine games this year due to a knee injury before playing a pair of minutes at UC Davis (Dec. 7). Lee saw 14 minutes of action Monday against the Panthers, netting seven points, on 3-of-5 shooting, with a pair of blocked shots.  

The Huskies currently rank 37th nationally in rebounding margin at +7.4, 39th in rebounding with 40.5 per game and 44th in scoring defense, holding opponent to just 61.8 points per contest. NIU's trip to Chicago State is the final game of stretch that sees the Huskies play six-of-seven on the road, with the only home game over the last month coming on November 25, a 74-50 victory over Oakland. 

The Cougars enter Thursday's contest with a 4-8 overall record, including a 3-2 mark at home, after dropping a 97-59 decision to Oral Roberts on Tuesday night (Dec. 17) in Chicago as part of the WAC/Summit Challenge. Three players are scoring in double figures for Chicago State, led by Xavier Johnson's 16.3 points per game. Andrew Lewis adds 13.7 points per contest while Isaiah Lewis is chipping in 10.0 points per game.

Following Thursday's contest, NIU will return home on Saturday afternoon, December 21, when the Huskies host Green Bay in the final game of 2019. NIU Athletics will be hosting a canned food drive at Saturday's game with $5 tickets available for anyone who brings canned food items to the NIU Convocation Center Box Office. Tipoff for Saturday's game is scheduled for 1 p.m.