Opposites will attract Thursday at Chick Evans Field House when the NIU women’s basketball team squares off with Cleveland State University in a 7 p.m. tip-off.

NIU, boasting a 7-0 North Star Conference ledger, hosts winless CSU (0-7), in what could be a better match-up than paper indicates.

The Huskies are eager to take on the Vikings after their last encounter. CSU played the Huskies very tight down in Ohio. NIU escaped with a 72-63 triumph, but not before CSU had its say in the matter.

CSU outscored the Huskies by a 14-2 margin to start the second half and actually led the game as late as 6:13 to play (58-57).

“We were very fortunate to win that game,” NIU coach Jane Albright said. “They were ahead in the second half. We just weren’t playing very well the last time.”

Part of the reason was NIU’s skid in the wrong direction. The Huskies were losers in four of their previous five contests and struggling to get any kind of “W.”

Just the opposite can be said nowadays. NIU, 14-4 overall, is currently riding an eight-game unbeaten string and a 22-game winning streak versus NSC opponents.

“A lot has happened since then,” Albright said. “I think we’ve established strong identity now. We’re anxious to get another shot at (Cleveland State.)”

The Huskies will play without junior Tracy Mondek, who has been stricken by the flu bug. Mondek saw minimal action in Tuesday night’s Wisconsin-Milwaukee pounding (112-64). Senior Denise Dove, who didn’t log any minutes in the Milwaukee game due to the same illness, is expected to see action. Dove practiced for the first time in over a week on Wednesday.

“I don’t think Tracy will be with us,” Albright said. “Denise is going to practice some (Wednesday), so I expect her to play a little bit.”

This game kicks off the second half of the NSC schedule for both teams and will be NIU’s second game in three days. Albright expressed elation about NIU’s unblemished first half and feels even stronger about her team now compared to January.

“The long practices are over, the learning our system is over—our system is intact,” Albright said. “What you’re seeing now is a team that doesn’t have to think every move they make. It’s February. If we can keep it fun, it’s going to be a great month for us.”