DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will be back in action on Tuesday night, Jan. 25, when the Huskies travel to Ohio to face the Bobcats. Game time in Athens, Ohio, is set for 6 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+.
NIU (5-10, 2-3 MAC) has become one of the best offensive teams in the Mid-American Conference since the beginning of league play as the Huskies lead the league in three-point shooting (41.2 percent) and rank second in field goal percentage (47.2 percent) in conference contests.
Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) is averaging 20.3 points per game in conference action, third-best in the MAC, while shooting 62 percent from the field, fourth in the conference, and a league-best 78.6 percent from three. Last week, Williams averaged an astonishing 30.0 points per game, including a career-best 32 against Bowling Green (Jan. 18), shooting 71 percent from the field and 83.3 percent from three-point range.
Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Iowa Western CC) leads the MAC in assists during conference play, dishing out 5.4 per game. He is also averaging 14.2 points per game in league play and is fourth in the conference with a 2.1 assist/turnover ratio.
The Bobcats have a 14-3 overall record, including a 5-1 mark in league play. Ohio fell to Toledo, 87-69, last time out against Toledo (Jan. 21), its first home loss of the season. Three players are scoring in double figures for Ohio, led by 19.2 points per game from Mark Sears. Jason Carter adds 14.7 points, and a team-high 7.1 rebounds, per contest while Ben Vander Plas chips in 12.8 points per game.
NIU has won four of the last five games against Ohio in the series, but the Bobcats won the only meeting a season ago.
Following Tuesday's contest, the Huskies will return home for the next two contests, beginning on Thursday, Jan. 27 against Ball State. The game with the Cardinals is a rescheduled matchup from late December, tickets for the original date will be honored at Thursday's game.
Tickets for all Huskie home games are still on sale, including Huskie Flex Plans. Purchase vouchers for $6 each and use them throughout the season to attend Huskie men's and women's basketball home games. Simply redeem vouchers for tickets at the box office prior to the game. Tickets can be purchased online at NIUHuskies.com/MyHuskies or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at 815-753-PACK (7225).
