While NIU students will take a one-month hiatus from school, the women cagers will go full-force into their season.

The Huskies have eight games scheduled for the next month, and they start off by traveling to Macomb, Ill., to take on the Western Illinois Westerwinds Saturday for a 7 p.m. contest.

The Westerwinds (2-4) enter the game after losses to Wyoming and Colorado over the weekend. The Huskies (2-3) are coming off a second-place finish in their own 5th Annual NIU Fastbreak Fest in which they lost 81-73 to sixth-ranked Iowa in the championship game.

“This will be a tough game for us,” coach Jane Albright said. “They aren’t like Iowa, but they play scrappy. Western is a completely different team than we saw last year.”

NIU defeated WIU 88-61 last year to even the series record at 11-11. The Westerwinds had a recruiting season that was good for the type of game Westerwind head coach Kelly Hill wants to play—a running game.

“We are in good physical shape and I want to maintain that,” Albright said. “What I want to see improvement in is defense. The last four games we have let teams score in the 80s.”

obin Hasemann is the Westerwinds’ team leader. The 6-foot freshman leads all scorers with 17.3 points per game. She is second in rebounds with 30. Hasemann, a power forward, recently picked up her second all-tournament selection of the season.

Senior Laura Jensen has seen action again after missing the end of last season because of an injury. The 5-foot-10 forward adds extra height to the Westerwind rebounding effort. Junior point guard Tanya Giovanetti has given WIU floor leadership and leads the team in assists.

The Westerwinds will have to watch out for NIU’s Carol Owens. The sophomore center became NIU’s first women’s basketball player to receive North Star Conference recognition Monday when she was named NSC Player of the Week. She established a school record for consecutive field goals made (13) when she hit her last seven tries against South Carolina and her first six versus North Carolina-Charlotte. She also tied her career high, scoring 25 points against both South Carolina and North Carolina-Charlotte.

There is no slowing down for the Huskies after Saturday’s game. NIU will travel to Tennessee, Cincinnati, Missouri, San Diego State, San Diego and Notre Dame. The one home game for NIU over break will take place Jan. 11 against Illinois-Chicago.

“We have never been a great road team, but we want to change that,” Albright said. “The team is very excited. There are lots of challenges we’re up to. One thing which is nice is that the players don’t have the pressure of school.”

Tennessee is the team NIU is looking forward to playing. Albright was an assistant coach there and the Volunteers are the defending national champs.

After Christmas the Huskies will spend the new year in California. It is the first time NIU will face both San Diego schools, and Albright said while she knows it will be tough competition she is looking for a couple of wins.