Tonight’s NIU women’s basketball game will be a matchup between quality and quantity.

A fully-rostered but young Valparaiso team crosses the border into Illinois to take on a shallow-benched but powerful Huskie team tonight at 7:00 p.m. in the Chick Evans Field House.

NIU head coach Jane Albright is down to seven players as a result of a knee injury to Dee Dee Jeske and the departures of Julie Sexton and Lori Reimer, who have returned to workouts with the Huskie softball team after helping out the cagers for just over a month.

But the Huskies are not in despair. NIU features talent that is being recognized throughout the country. A recent 26th rating by the Associated Press is proof of the NIU progess.

Coming into tonight’s game, the Huskies boast a 13-3 overall record and a nine-game winning streak, as well as a perfect mark at home in the “Huskie Den” (7-0). The Huskies also stand atop the North Star Conference with a 4-0 ledger.

“Experience is a key for the (NIU) team,” said Valparaiso head coach Dave Wolter. “A team that has Carol Owens and Tammy Hinchee, who have played a lot of games together, is tough. There are also players like Gena Stubbs and (Denise) Dove who offer quickness. Hopefully, we can play well defensively.

Wolter’s Crusaders will have to defend against a Huskie offense that is averaging 87 points per game. Owens leads the offensive attack with 22.4 ppg and Hinchee is next in line with 17 ppg.

Hinchee, a 6-2 junior from Cuba, Illinois, will become only the ninth woman in NIU histroy to match the 1,000 career-points mark with her next three points. Hinchee will join fellow teammates Gena Stubbs and Lisa Foss on the prestigious list.

However, Albright knows that the focus of the game needs to be Valparaiso.

“This game will be unlike the last game,” Albright said. “We’re not going to feed the ball to her (Hinchee). If she gets the points, fine. If she doesn’t, well….”

The Crusaders step into tonight’s game with a 5-10 overall record and a 2-2 showing in the NSC. The Crusaders are paced by 5-8 sophomore guard Stephanie Greer, who averages 11.5 ppg. Under the boards, VU looks to 5-11 sophomore Sarah Backhus at 4.4 rebounds a game.

Although Greer’s scoring average is not that impressive, the Crusaders’ four other starters average between 5.7 and 8.3 points. Through its first 15 games, VU has been led in scoring by seven different players.