DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team returns to action following a nine-day layoff when the Huskies travel to Northern California for a two-game swing, beginning on Thursday night, December 5, as the Huskies take on Saint Mary's. Tipoff against the Gaels is slated for 9 p.m. CT and will be available online via the WCC Network.
NIU (6-2) takes its six-game win streak west as the Huskies closed the month of November with six wins in 11 days, capped by a 74-50 victory over Oakland last time out (Nov. 25). Senior guard
Eugene German (Gary, Ind./21st Century Charter) scored a game-high 21 points in the victory over the Golden Grizzlies and is just nine points away from Paul Dawkins (1975-79; 1,749 points) for fourth on NIU's career scoring list.
German is currently averaging 21.4 points per game, best in the Mid-American Conference and 24th nationally.
Sophomore
Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) netted a career-high 14 points against Oakland on 5-of-7 shooting, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. Hankerson currently leads the MAC in three-point percentage, shooting 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from beyond the arc, and ranks fifth in field goal percentage at 56.8 percent (25-of-44).
During NIU's current six-game winning streak, eight different Huskies have scored in double figures at least once. German has netted double-digits in all six games while sophomore
Darius Beane (Carbondale, Ill./Southern Illinois), senior
Lacey James (Grand Rapids, Mich./Rider) and Hankerson have each scored in double figures three times.
The Gaels bring an 8-1 record into Thursday's contest, including a 6-1 mark at home in Moraga, and have won seven consecutive games including a 75-66 win over Omaha last time out (Dec. 1). Saint Mary's is currently just outside the Associated Press Top 25, receiving 86 votes to place 29th. The Gaels have been ranked as high as 18th this season.
Jordan Ford leads the way for the Gaels averaging 21.1 points per game, prior to the season he was named to the Wooden Award and Naismith Trophy National Player of the Year Watch Lists.
Thursday will be the first all-time meeting between the Huskies and Gaels, it will also mark NIU's first trip to Northern California since November 19, 1997, when the Huskies earned a 70-60 season-opening, overtime victory at Sacramento State.
Following its two games in California, NIU will take a break for finals before heading to Pittsburgh on Monday, December 16, to meet the Panthers.
