Every athlete knows winning on the road is hard, but no one understands this better than the members of NIU men’s basketball team.

The Huskies (4-11, 1-2 MAC) have gone winless on the road this season. they hope to change that Saturday in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., with a matchup against the Central Michigan Chippewas (6-9, 1-2 MAC) at 5:30 p.m.

The Huskies are coming off a home loss in which the team led at halftime. However, they failed to make shots during the second half, resulting in a 65-61 loss.

Despite strong shooting in its last contest, Central Michigan is also coming off a loss to Toledo Wednesday. The Chippewas’ leading scorer, Giordan Watson, is averaging 16.3 points per game, and scored 23 points in the 72-61 loss to Toledo.

CMU is ranked second in the MAC in offensive scoring, tallying an average of 71.7 points per game.

This may prove to be a crucial stat, as the Huskies rank last in the conference in defensive scoring. On average, the team gives up 77 points per game.

“Our strategy for each opponent is obviously to limit open looks,” said Ricardo Patton, NIU head coach. “We know that they will be hard to guard, but we also need to be hard to guard for them.”

Patton hopes to see consistent effort from his players and said the team needs to work most on rebounding the ball.

“We give up far too many offensive rebounds,” Patton said. “To shoot the ball it takes talent; to dribble the ball it takes talent, but to go up and try to rebound the ball just takes effort.”

The Huskies’ effort will not be the only thing tested by the Chippewas. NIU’s physical game will need to be at its best to win. Along with grabbing boards and making shots, the team needs to be aggressive.

“Being a freshman, I am still trying to get a feel for the league,” said NIU guard Michael Patton. “I’ve noticed every game so far has been really physical, so if we just come out and be the aggressors, that could mean the difference in the game.”

The guard has been a key player for the team this season, averaging 7.3 points per game. Patton has also scored in double figures three times this year, including a career-high 20 points against Western Michigan.

Coming into Saturday’s game, the Huskies rank last in the MAC in scoring margin. NIU sits at a -10.5 margin, behind the -9.7 margin held by Ball State. Coach Patton is looking for consistent effort on both sides of the ball.

“Taking care of the basketball is an area that we have to get better at,” Patton said. “We need to answer the bell. When they score, we have to score.”

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