The winner of this finale will walk away smiling.

The NIU women’s basketball match against Northern Star Conference rival Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. in Chick Evans Field House will be a rewarding victory for whoever reigns.

If NIU walks away a winner, it will cap a .500 season, ending with a 14-14 overall record. As a bonus, the Huskies would hold in their thoughts that they conquered a team which leads the country in field goal percentage.

If the Fighting Irish claim this one, they will wrap up a season with 20 wins—an accomplishment the NIU team hopes for someday. Twenty wins also would increase the chances for a bid into the NCAA Tournament for Notre Dame, now 19-7.

Huskie scoring forces Lisa Foss and Carol Owens, with 20 and 15.3 points per game respectively, could help to pave the path to a victory.

Foss—juiced from a career-high 31-point game which shot her past the 1,000 point landmark against Valparaiso Feb. 29—was named NSC player of the week again Monday. This time she holds the honor individually, whereas the week of Feb. 29 she was a co-player.

“We anticipate that they’ll play (Lisa) in a box-and-one,” Albright said, “but I think we’ll be prepared for what they throw at us.”

Although a 89-66 loss to the Irish in South Bend resulted in the first contest, home-court advantage and wild fans might be the answer to a win for NIU this time. The last NSC game (against Dayton) the Huskies played the first of a two-game series on the road before coming home, NIU lost 78-75 away but came back to the fieldhouse to shock the Flyers 99-67.

NIU coach Jane Albright is realistic about the capabilities of the Notre Dame squad, but it is not conflicting with her optimism.

“Anytime you play a team that leads the nation in field goal percentage, you’ve got to be concerned with its offensive production,” Albright said. “I think this will be a different game—we’re a much better defensive team than we were the last time we played. We’ll do all we can to win it.”

Another edge that Albright says will help the Huskies is the stability of NIU’s point guard position. In the last battle with the Irish, Albright still was in search of someone for the position.

Sophomore Toby Meeks is fulfilling the job, and she will carry her team-high 96 assists on the floor with her.

“We’re definitely psyched for this one,” Meeks said. “It’s one of the biggest games all year. They beat us before, but everyone’s pumped up.”