DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team finishes its week on the road on Saturday, Jan. 21, when the Huskies travel to Eastern Michigan. Game time against the Eagles is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN3, along with 94-9 WDKB and The Varsity Network app.
The contest will be the second game of a doubleheader at Eastern Michigan with the NIU women's basketball team meeting the Eagles at 12 p.m. CT.
On Tuesday night (Jan. 17), the Huskies claimed an 81-77 victory on the road at Miami. Four players scored in double figures for the Huskies, led by 21 points from
David Coit (Columbus, N.J.).
Zarique Nutter (Newark, N.J.) added 16 points,
Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill.) had 13 points and
Anthony Crump (Inkster, Mich.) chipped in 13 points.
Darweshi Hunter (Cincinnati, Ohio) finished just shy of double figures with nine points but went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute to help the Huskies hold off the RedHawks.
Coit has scored in double figures in five of the last seven games for the Huskies and is averaging 16.4 points per game during that stretch.
Thornton currently ranks fourth in the Mid-American Conference in three-point percentage, shooting 45 percent from beyond the arc. He is also seventh in the league with 3.5 assists per game and 10 with a 1.48 assist/turnover ratio.
Eastern Michigan brings a 4-14 overall mark in Saturday's game, including a 1-4 record in league play after falling to Kent State, 77-63, on Tuesday night (Jan. 17). Emoni Bates leads the conference in scoring at 20.0 points per game and leads EMU with 5.9 rebounds per contest. Tyson Acuff adds 12.5 points per game and Noah Farrakhan is scoring 12.1 points per game for the Eagles.
NIU and Eastern Michigan split a pair of meetings last season, with both teams winning at home. Six of the last seven overall between the Huskies and Eagles have been decided by eight points or less, with three of those contests by three points or less.
Following Saturday's matchup, the Huskies will return home for a pair of games next week as they host Kent State on Tuesday, Jan. 24, and Ball State on Saturday, Jan. 28. Tickets are available now by logging on to NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225).
