GREEN BAY, Wis.—A disappointing season’s end has the NIU women’s basketball team NWIT bound.

National Women’s Invitational Tournament, that is. All hopes of NIU returning to the NCAA Tournament came to a halt March 10 when the selection committee bypassed the slumping Huskies.

NIU (24-8, 12-2) dropped three out of its final four games of the season, including a 91-84 semifinal loss to the DePaul Blue Demons in the North Star Conference Tournament.

“The good news is that we played a very tough schedule and we played it well,” NIU coach Jane Albright said after the DePaul contest. “The bad news, and the realistic news, is that we’ve lost three of our last four games and they (the committee) don’t like stuff like that.”

Apparently, Albright hit the feelings of the NCAA selection committee right on the head because NIU will travel to Amarillo, Texas Thursday to take on Houston (19-10) in the first round of the eight-team, three-day tourney.

“I’m excited the team will get to compete in the NWIT,” Albright said. “I’m happy for the seniors, because they get to keep on playing and hopefully end the season on a positive note.”

For the second time in a week, DePaul left the Huskies singing a very sour note. In the semifinal round, NIU and the Blue Demons squared off for the rubber match of the season with an automatic bid at stake. The winner would proceed to the final round. Despite Denise Dove’s 12 first-half points, DePaul clung to a 39-33 lead in the opening period. The Huskies made a valiant late-game comeback, but the Blue Demons thwarted the effort.

Five players scored in double figures for the Huskies, but no one else scored. Cindy Conner paced the way with 21 points, while Lisa Foss, named NSC Player of the Year, was held to 20. Angela Lockett dumped in 17, Dove finished with 15 and Toby Meeks ended with 11.

NIU reached the semifinal game with an 84-60 triumph over Cleveland State in first-round action. Once again Conner led the Huskies with 17, but it was Dove’s 5-for-6 shooting from the three-point line that captured all the attention.

Dove and Conner were rewarded for their dazzling tournament performances, with All-Tournament Team selections after DePaul earned the automatic bid with a 100-85 victory over Valparaiso.