DEKALB, Ill. – The Northern Illinois University men’s basketball team travels to Mount Pleasant, Mich., on Friday, March 7, as the Huskies close the 2024-25 season at Central Michigan.
NIU has lost their past 11 games and have a record of (5-25).
With one game left in the regular season for all teams, Quentin Jones continues to lead the Mid-American Conference in scoring at 17.1 points per game. He could become the sixth Huskie to lead the MAC in scoring, joining: Matt Hicks (1975-76 and 1976-77), Paul Dawkins (1978-79), Tim Dillon (1983-84), Xavier Silas (2010-11) and Eugene German (2017-18 and 2019-20).
Last time out against Bowling Green, Jones scored 18 points. In the last six games, Jones is averaging 20.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.
NIU made 11 three-point field goals against the Falcons last time out, extending the single-season three-point field goal record to 283. The Huskies attempted a single-game school record 39 triples against Bowling Green to extend their single-season three-point attempts record to 850. NIU ranks third in the MAC averaging 9.43 triples per contest, which ranks 45th nationally.
James Dent Jr. (Springfield, Ill./Springfield Southeast) has made a team-high 68 threes this season, which is the seventh-best single-season in program history. Dent is one of just three players in the MAC to rank in the top-20 in the conference in scoring, rebounding and assists, along with Jermahri Hill (Ball State) and Da’Sean Nelson (Eastern Michigan). Dent is ranked 18th in scoring (13.4 ppg), 16th in rebounding (5.3 rpg) and 13th in assists (3.1 apg).
Dent is also second in the league in assist/turnover ratio at 1.90, trailing just Kent State’s Cian Medley (1.95).
Central Michigan enters Friday’s regular season finale with a 14-16 overall record, 7-10 in league play after coming back from down 17 at the half to beat Ball State, 69-67, in Muncie on Tuesday (March 4). Four players score in double figures for Central Michigan, led by 16.2 points per game from Ugnius Jarusevicius. Jakobi Heady adds 14.9 points per contest, Anthony Pritchard is averaging 13.2 points per game and Kyler VanderJagt adds 11.0 points per game.
The Chippewas are tied for ninth in the MAC standings with Ball State, one game behind seventh and eighth place Bowling Green and Western Michigan.
