Jane Albright had her share of showers Wednesday night.

Following the NIU women’s basketball team’s 95-74 upset win over Notre Dame in Chick Evans Field House, coach Albright was showered with confetti by fans, only to be greeted with an unscheduled shower afterwards in the team locker room from her celebrating team.

“I don’t get any respect around here,” said a dripping wet yet overjoyed Albright.

NIU took revenge from an 89-66 loss to the Irish earlier in the season, robbing Notre Dame of its 20th win (19-8), while at the same time sweetening their final season record to an even .500 (14-14).

“It was a great win for us,” Albright said. “I thought we had a lot of confidence—I think we carried all the confidence that we’ve been building in the last five games into this night. (Notre Dame) never got to do what they wanted to do.”

The only low point of the night occurred at the 6:48 mark of the first half, when NIU’s leading scorer (20 points per game) Lisa Foss hit the floor, crumpled up in pain from an injury to her right knee.

A seven-point performance concluded Foss’ scoring for the season, as she was carried out for the rest of the match and left the fieldhouse on crutches.

Led by Gena Stubbs (26 points), Carol Owens (24 points) and Tammy Hinchee (16 points), NIU turned the tables on field goal percentages—a major key to the Huskie win. In the teams’ first match, Notre Dame’s 53 percent overall shooting average destroyed NIU, who could only hit 35 percent.

This time around, the Huskies held the nation’s leading squad in field goal percentage to 35 percent in the first 20, 43 percent overall, while NIU built a 54-percent overall average on the strength of a 59-percent stat in the first half.

“That’s what turned the tide—keeping them out of it,” Albright said. “Anytime you hold a team that’s leading the nation (in field goal percentage) to 43 percent, you’re frustrating them and you’re making them take shots they don’t want to take—I think that’s a credit to everybody on our team.”

Efforts from Stubbs (12 points), Tammy Hinchee (10 points) and Owens (eight points) carried NIU to a 47-28 halftime score.

Coming out of the locker room, NIU started in control, but a three-minute binge of pressure and forced turnovers by the Irish cut a 20-point deficit in half, forcing the Huskies to call a timeout while still ahead 57-48.

A pair of free throws by Hinchee, a lay-in by Stubbs and a bucket by Owens on an assist from Toby Meeks—one of her game-high eight of the night in addition to her 12 points—lifted the Huskies to a lead not to be threatened within 10 points again.

“It makes me extremely proud to watch my team the way they ended the season—winning five of the last six games,” Albright said. “I think when things got tough, we never quit believing in ourselves and we never doubted our ability. I would hope that it’s a sign of things to come.”