Stevenson Towers North, the NIU Huskies are calling your name.

The NIU women’s basketball team will attempt to extend a three-game home winning streak and grab a share of the North Star Conference lead when they face DePaul Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.

But coach Jane Albright and her squad would like some help.

During the last few home women’s games, a certain section of the crowd—namely students from Stevenson Towers North—has made its presence known, and Albright is enjoying it.

“They’re a whole different type of spectator that we haven’t seen before,” Albright said. “They’ve made a big difference. The support they give us is real special.”

In their 81-78 triumph over Michigan Sunday, the Huskies received special efforts from Gena Stubbs and Lisa Foss (26 and 22 points, respectively), Kris Weis’ performance off the bench (three rebounds, a steal, two-for-two from the line) and all-around positive performances from all the subs, according to Albright.

But Albright said she also felt the team received an extra lift to its victory from its sixth man on the court, the new cheering section.

By painting their faces, making signs and forming a tunnel for NIU to run through at halftime, the Huskie fans have what NIU leading scorer Lisa Foss called “school spirit.

“They played a big part and helped us out a lot,” said Foss, who is also the second leading scorer in the North Star Conference, averaging 19.4 points per game. “They really got us going—I hope we get a lot of support (tonight).”

But NIU, 7-9 overall and 1-1 in the conference, will need more than vibrant fans to shake up 13-3 DePaul, 3-0 in the NSC.

The Huskies might need a new game plan to halt the Blue Demons’ six-game-winning-streak attack, led by junior center Diana Vines, the top scorer (24 ppg) and rebounder (11.7 rebounds per game) of the league.

“We’re going to concentrate on us (tonight), whereas at Notre Dame we concentrated on them,” Albright said of a 89-66 loss to the Irish earlier this month.

“DePaul is an excellent ballteam with excellent individuals,” Albright said. “They’ve got an inside and outside attack. We want to make sure we execute on offense and defense and let everything else take care of itself.”

Tonight is the first of three straight NSC games for the Huskies, which include a road trip to Dayton on Saturday and another home game next Tuesday against Valpraiso.

Joining Foss in the conference rankings (games through Jan. 18) for scoring are Carol Owens at number four (16.8 ppg) and Tammy Hinchee at number eight (13.5 ppg). Top NIU rebounders in the league include Hinchee at number two (9.1 rbpg) and Owens at number seven (7.7 rbpg).