DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men's basketball team welcomes the University of Louisiana at Lafayette to the NIU Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 8) in the MAC/Sun Belt Challenge. Tipoff against the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 1 p.m. and will be available on ESPN+ and WDKB 94-9 FM.

Tickets are on sale now at NIUHuskies.com/tickets or by calling the NIU Athletics Ticket Office at (815) 753-PACK (7225). Saturday's game is a $5 Kids Combo Day, the kids combo includes a hot dog, a bag of chips and a small soft drink or water for just $5 and is available for kids ages 13 and under.

NIU returns home following back-to-back road contests at Toledo and Bowling Green. Quentin Jones (Chicago, Ill./Marian Catholic) had a team-high 19 points last time out against the Falcons. Jones currently ranks third in the conference in scoring at 16.4 points per game, he is averaging 18.5 points per contest over the last eight games. 

Quaran McPherson (South Jamaica Queens, N.Y./Link Year Prep) had 18 points against Bowling Green, including 4-of-8 from three. McPherson ranks fourth in the MAC in three-point percentage at 42 percent (29-of-69). In league play, McPherson ranks 17th in the MAC in scoring at 14.4 points per game and 15th in rebounding with 5.7 boards per contest.  

James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) is ranked 16th in the MAC in scoring (13.6 ppg), 17th in rebounding (5.5 rpg) and 15th in assists (2.8 apg). Dent is one of just three players in the MAC, along with Jermahri Hill (Ball State) and Sonny Wilson (Toledo), to rank in the top-20 in scoring, rebounding and assists.

The Ragin' Cajuns come to DeKalb with a 7-17 overall record, including a 5-7 mark in Sun Belt Conference play. They come to NIU following a narrow, 83-82 setback at Georgia Southern on Wednesday (Feb. 5). Mostapha El Moutaouakkil is the leading scorer for the Ragin' Cajuns at 13.5 points per game. As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns rank second in the Sun Belt in free throw percentage, shooting 75 percent.

This will be the first all-time meeting between the Huskies and Ragin' Cajuns. 

NIU will be home again on Tuesday night, Feb. 11, when the Huskies host Buffalo. Tip against the Bulls is scheduled for 6 p.m.