DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team travels to the State of Ohio for the final time this season on Tuesday, Feb. 25, as the Huskies visit Miami. Tipoff against the RedHawks is slated for 6 p.m. CT and will be available on ESPN+ and WDKB 94-9 FM.
Last time out against Eastern Michigan, the Huskies set a new school record as they made 15 triples against the Eagles, breaking the previous mark of 14, which was done five times.
James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) and
Tsvet Sotirov (Rolling Meadows, Ill./Rolling Meadows) each had five three in the contest.
Dent Jr. is one of just two players in the Mid-American Conference to rank in the top-20 in the league in scoring, rebounding and assists, along with Jermahri Hill (Ball State). Dent is tied for 18th in the MAC in scoring (13.7 ppg), ranked 16th in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and 14th in assists (2.9 apg).
Sotirov netted a career-best 17 points against Eastern Michigan. In the last three games, he is averaging 12.3 points per game, shooting 61.9 percent (13-of-21) from the field and 57.9 percent (11-of-19) from three.
Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) had a team-high 20 points against the Eagles. Jones leads the MAC in scoring at 17.1 points per game. Jones has scored in double figures a team-high 24 times, including 10 games of 20-plus points.
The RedHawks picked up their 20th win of the season on Friday (Feb. 21) as they topped Kent State, 96-92, to improve to 20-7 overall, 11-3 in league play. Three players score in double figures for Miami, led by Peter Suder at 13.9 points per game. Kam Craft adds 13.8 points per contest while Eian Elmer is averaging 11.4 points per game.
Miami leads the MAC, and ranks 24th nationally, in field goal percentage, shooting 48.5 percent. The RedHawks are also tops in the MAC, and sixth nationally, in three-point percentage at 39.5 percent.
The Huskies fell to the RedHawks, 84-69, in the first meeting this season in DeKalb (Jan. 14) but have won in each of their last two visits to Oxford, including a 62-59 victory last season (Feb. 6, 2024).
NIU will return home on Saturday, March 1, as the Huskies take on Western Michigan in the second game of a doubleheader at 3:30 p.m. Tickets are available now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK.
