Playing at Western Michigan University on Saturday, the NIU men’s basketball team looks to register its first win on the road in conference play.

With a dismal 3-27 road record since joining the Mid-American Conference in 1997, the Huskies desperately are seeking a victory. Coming off a loss at Ohio, which put NIU at 0-3 on the road in the MAC this season, the team will try to improve its style of play against the Broncos.

Playing good defense, working hard and staying together as a team are all factors that NIU senior Stephen Jones cited as keys to winning.

“When it comes to conference time, you know it’s always going to be hard on the road, but we’ve just got to play through it,” he said. “If we make mistakes, we don’t need to get down on each other. We need to fight through it and tell the person to make up for it on the next play.”

To escape Kalamazoo with the victory, the Huskies must stay positive about their chances against the Broncos (3-14 overall, 3-5 MAC).

“We’ve been taking everything one game at a time, and we haven’t won on the road yet, and that is our focus to go on the road and get a W,” said NIU coach Andy Greer. “We haven’t done a good job on the road defending or handling the ball pressure, so we’ve got to improve on that. Every game in the MAC is a difficult game, and especially when you go on the road. We just hope we could go out there and play well and come back with the W.”

Upsetting tough teams like Toledo, yet losing to lesser-knowns like Belmont, the Huskies’ play could best be described as inconsistent.

“The one thing about our effort, it has gotten better, but it is inconsistent, especially on the road,” Greer said. “The good teams are consistent, and right now our effort and intensity is inconsistent on the road, and that’s what we are going to try and improve on going to Western Michigan.”