NIU women’s basketball coach Jane Albright is not one to gloat over success, but one has to wonder if she is wearing a smile on the inside.

Since the Huskies’ 78-71 loss to Nevada-Las Vegas on Dec. 10, Albright and her crew have exorcised the word “lose” from their vocabulary by winning seven-consecutive games.

The most recent addition to the Huskie hit-list is Cleveland State. The Huskies handed the Vikings an impressive 83-49 defeat at Woodling Gym in Cleveland Sunday night. Carol Owens paced the Huskies with 23 points, while Tammy Hinchee scored 22. Hinchee was busy under the boards as well. The 6-foot-2 junior racked up 12 rebounds. Freshman Tracy Mondek made her presence known by blocking five Viking shots.

“The thing that impressed me the most was that we played with the same type of intensity as we did against North Carolina State,” Albright said. “That tells me we’re really working hard and working towards our overall goal of playing solid basketball for 40 consistent minutes. It was the inside people’s game today and from the very start, we were able to execute our offense.”

The Huskies’ holiday highlight came from down south in New Orleans—just the place for a good celebration. NIU took it to the New Orleans Buc-kettes in the first round of play in the UNO/Travelodge Tournament with a solid 78-73 victory.

In the championship round, the Huskie squared off against three-time defending Ivy League champ Dartmouth University, and came out on top with a 94-86 mark to capture the tournament’s first-place trophy.

Sophomore Denise Dove’s play during the tournament earned her North Star Conference Player of the Week status (Jan. 3). The Minnesota native compiled 44 points in the two-game span. During the championship game, Dove scored a career-high 27 points—21 of the points were a result of Dove’s 7-for-8 success rate from 3-point range.

“Denise is undoubtedly our most improved player,” Albright said. “Offensively, she’s always on the attack, either looking to set someone up or score herself, including the 3-point shot. Seven-of-eight is an awesome stat and really changes the game, helping the inside people.”

Dove’s selection as NSC Player of the Week makes her the third Huskie to receive that honor this year. Other NIU players previously given the award are Carol Owens for her play during the NIU/Contel Fastbreak Fest, and Gena Stubbs for her explosive performance in the Huskies’ 104-75 crushing of Big Ten foe Minnesota on Dec. 17.

Other holiday wins that contributed to the NIU winning streak came against Illinois (92-87), Creighton (106-74) and Akron (79-46). The win over Creighton marked the third time this season the Huskies have surpassed the century mark in scoring.

The Huskies’ winning streak will be on the line come Thursday as the DePaul Blue Demons come to DeKalb. The two-time NSC champions will look to upset the 11-3 Huskies (2-0 in the NSC) at Chick Evans Field House, where NIU stands undefeated this season.