DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, December 2, when the Huskies host SIU Edwardsville at the NIU Convocation Center. Tipoff against the Cougars is slated for 6 p.m. and will be available on ESPN3. 

Wednesday's contest marks the fifth all-time meeting between NIU and SIUE, with the Huskies leading the series, 3-1. The two teams met last season in Edwardsville (Nov. 23, 2019), with NIU earning a 68-64 victory. 

Five Huskies made their debut in the season opener against UIC (Nov. 25), including junior Adong Makuoi (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada/Daytona State College) who earned a start in his first Division I game, scoring five points with five rebounds. 

Junior Darius Beane (Carbondale, Ill./Southern Illinois) and sophomore Tyler Cochran (Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook) each scored 13 points to pace the Huskies against the Flames. It marked the 10th time Beane has scored in double figures during his time at NIU and the eighth career double-figure scoring contest for Cochran. One of Beane's 10 double figure games came last season at SIU Edwardsville when he scored 12 points. 

The Cougars come to DeKalb with a 1-2 overall record, having played three games in four days to start the season at the Billiken Classic. SIU Edwardsville fell to Saint Louis and LSU while topping the University of Heath Sciences and Pharmacy in St. Louis. Mike Adewunmi leads SIUE in scoring at 13.0 points per contest. Adewunmi is shooting 51.9 percent (14-of-27) from the field, including 50 percent (4-of-8) from three-point range.

Although fans are unable to attend NIU basketball games this season, you can still make your presence felt in the NIU Convocation Center by purchasing a cutout as part of the "Huskie Howl" presented by First National Bank of Omaha (FNBO). For just $60, fans can put their image on a cutout that will remain in place in the NIU Convocation Center for all NIU men's and women's basketball games during the 2020-21 season. Net proceeds from all fan cutouts will benefit the Huskie Athletic Fund.