Huskies Host Miami on Cram the Convo Saturday
DEKALB, Ill. – Coming off back-to-back road wins, the Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team returns home on Saturday, Feb. 19, as it hosts Miami in the second game of a “Cram the Convo” doubleheader at the NIU Convocation Center. The Huskie women’s basketball team will host Western Michigan, beginning at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s game against the RedHawks at approximately 3:30 p.m.
“Cram the Convo” will feature a Kids’ Zone, Huskie Pride pennant giveaway and appearances by the NIU MAC Championship men’s soccer and football teams. Reserved tickets for “Cram the Convo” are available for just $5 by using the promo code “CRAM” when purchasing tickets online.
With wins at Ball State on Tuesday (Feb. 15) and Akron on Thursday (Feb. 17), NIU has put itself right in the middle of the race to Cleveland for the Mid-American Conference Tournament. The Huskies and Saturday’s opponent, Miami, enter the game tied for the final spot in Cleveland with identical 5-9 conference marks.
Five players scored in double figures in the win at Akron, NIU’s first on the road against the Zips since 2008. Keshawn Williams (Chicago Heights, Ill./Tulsa) netted a team-high 15 points, Kaleb Thornton (Bolingbrook, Ill./Iowa Western CC) added 12, Chinedu Kingsley Okanu (Lynwood, Ill./Vincennes University) scored 11 while Trendon Hankerson (Novi, Mich./Novi) and Zool Kueth (Gallatin, Tenn./Pratt CC) each chipped in 10 points.
Trailing by three at halftime, the Huskies shot 64 percent (16-of-25) from the field in the second half to overcome the deficit and earn just their third all-time victory at Akron.
NIU’s win at Akron was also its sixth road victory of the season, tied for the second-most by the Huskies dating back to the 2005-06 campaign, NIU won seven road games in 2019-20.
The RedHawks come to DeKalb with an 11-14 overall record, including a 5-9 mark in conference play. Miami is coming off a 91-78 setback at Ohio on Tuesday (Feb. 15). Miami has three players scoring in double figures, led by Dae Dae Grant at 17.1 points per game. Mekhi Lairy adds 14.3 points per contest while Dalonte Brown is averaging 12.2 points per game.
Miami leads the MAC in free-throw percentage, shooting 78.4 percent, which also ranks ninth in the country, and is also averaging just 10.0 turnovers per game, best in the MAC and 12th nationally.
Following Saturday’s game, the Huskies will head back on the road as they visit Eastern Michigan on Tuesday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m., before coming home to host Buffalo on Thursday, Feb. 24.
