NIU preps for Bobcats
Players get hyped up during pre-game routines March 4 of last season against Ball State. The Huskies are riding a four-game win streak.
January 19, 2017
DeKALB — The men’s basketball team looks to continue its four-game winning streak in a matchup with the Ohio University Bobcats.
The Bobcats (11-5, 3-2 MAC) currently sit second place overall in the Mid-American Conference, but have lost their previous two conference contests. They recently dropped their Tuesday game against overall MAC leader the Akron University Zips (15-3, 5-0 MAC), who outscored the Bobcats by 15 points in a second half comeback win.
The Huskies (12-6, 4-1 MAC) will look to continue a hot stretch of basketball and are seeking their fifth straight conference win and fifth straight win overall.
Head Coach Mark Montgomery said he knows the importance of not becoming complacent after a winning streak and knows his team needs to stay humble.
“The more you win, the bigger target you become,” Montgomery said. “A lot of teams are looking up to us now so we have to keep winning and not get complacent or satisfied.”
Although the Bobcats are having a good season thus far, they have lost by an average of 14.5 points in their previous two contests against Akron and the Eastern Michigan University Eagles (12-6, 4-1 MAC).
This game means a lot to both teams because of their current position in the MAC standings. The Huskies, currently tied for third, are one of the hottest teams in the conference and are looking to continue their recent success.
The team will have support from their fans to continue their winning streak as they will continue a stretch of five of six games at home.
“We have to keep defending, rebounding and taking care of the basketball,” Montgomery said. “That is going to give us more possessions to be successful.”
One player the Huskies will have to look out for is junior guard Jaaron Simmons, who dropped 19 points on 50 percent shooting and added five assists and four rebounds in the Bobcats’ past game against Akronand is scoring 11.8 points per game this season.
The game between the Huskies and Bobcats will tip off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center. The game will follow the women’s basketball game which begins at 1 p.m. against Miami.
