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CHICAGO -
OPENING TIP: Chicago State men's basketball makes its return to the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center on Saturday afternoon to battle in-state foe Northern Illinois live on the WAC Digital Network with a start time of 2:05 p.m.
SCOUTING CSU: Chicago State enters the month of December sporting a 2-8 season record after dropping a 95-69 decision at Marquette on Wednesday night with three players scoring in double figures, led by junior guard Fred Sims, Jr. as he scored 20 points. Sims leads the Cougars with an average of 15.8 points a game while shooting 87 percent from the free throw line. Senior forward/center Deionte Simmons is grabbing a team-best 5.7 rebounds a game and connecting on 59 percent of his field-goal attempts in addition to ranking second in scoring at 10.6 points per contest. Senior guard Glen Burns leads the Green and White in assists by dishing out an average of 3.8 per game and is scoring an average of 8.1 points a game.
SCOUTING NIU: Playing in its first true road game of the season, Northern Illinois comes into Saturday's contest with a 4-3 record following Wednesday's 75-62 loss to Milwaukee that ended a short two-game homestand. Sophomore guard Eugene German is averaging a team-high 18 points a game to lead three Huskie players in double figures, while junior wing player Levi Bradley is second in scoring at 15.6 points per game. Junior guard Dante Thorpe is producing team highs of 2.6 and 1.6 steals a game, and is scoring 10.3 points per game.
SERIES HISTORY: The Huskies currently hold a 23-0 lifetime advantage over Chicago State in a series that dates back to 1949. NIU earned an 80-58 win in the teams' last meeting in DeKalb on Dec. 2, 2015 with Elliot Cole (17 points) and Trayvon Palmer (10 points) leading CSU in scoring that game.
TOP-10 THREE-POINT SHOOTER IN THE WAC: Senior guard Montana Byrd currently tied with Grand Canyon's Casey Benson for second in the Western Athletic Conference for three-point field goal percentage as he has connected on 47 percent (14-of-30) of his shots from downtown.
UP NEXT: CSU returns to the road on Dec. 9 following finals week as it heads to Rochester, Mich., to compete against Oakland at the O'Rena on ESPN 3 with the opening tip set for 2 p.m.
