DEKALB, Ill. – For the first time since 2013, the Northern Illinois University men's basketball team will take on Loyola Chicago as the Huskies make the trip to Rogers Park on Friday, Nov. 21. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the contest will be televised on Marquee Sports Network and also available on WDKB 94-9 FM.
NIU (2-3) heads into Chicago on the heels of a 70-57 setback at Northern Iowa on Tuesday night (Nov. 18). The Huskies trailed the Panthers by just one with 6:32 left before Northern Iowa pulled away late for the victory.
Dylan Ducommun (Geneva, Switzerland), making his collegiate debut, scored a team-high 12 points and had seven assists.
The Huskies shot 40 percent (8-of-20) from three at Northern Iowa and, for the season, NIU is shooting 41.7 percent from beyond the arc, 17th-best in the country.
Over the last three contests, NIU is shooting 44.8 percent (30-of-67) from three-point range. During that same three-game stretch,
Daemar Kelly (Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills) is averaging a team-best 13.3 points per game.
Gustav Winther (Roskilde, Denmark) has not missed a field goal since the season opener against ULM (Nov. 3). For the season, Winther is shooting 90.5 percent (19-of-21), including 11-of-11 in the last four games combined.
The Ramblers bring a 1-4 record into Friday night's contest after falling to Colorado State, 80-67, last time out (Nov. 16). Four players score in double figures for Loyola, led by 13.2 points per game from Justin Moore. Miles Rubin adds 12.0 points per contest, Deywilk Tavarez is averaging 11.2 points per game and Chuck Love III adds 10.0 points per game. Loyola was picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll; Rubin was named to the A-10 Preseason All-Conference First Team.
This will be the first meeting between the Huskies and Ramblers since a 55-49 NIU victory in Chicago on Dec. 18, 2013. Travon Baker led the Huskies with 14 points, Darrell Bowie added 13 points and nine rebounds while Christian Thomas had 16 points to pace the Ramblers. NIU and Loyola have met 34 times prior to Friday's contest and the overall series is tied, 17-17.
Following Friday's game, NIU concludes its three-game road trip with a visit to Austin Peay on Tuesday, Nov. 25.
