Last season, the Loyola Lady Ramblers followed a starting lineup laced with four seniors to a 20-7 record, including a 87-49 blowout of the NIU Huskies.

This year, the Ramblers have replaced those seniors with a quartet of juniors, all of whom have scoring averages in double figures. Loyola’s record is 7-5, including an 83-60 blowout of Butler Monday.

With Loyola paying a visit to Chick Evans tonight at 7, will it be the same old song with a different beat with the seniors gone? Loyola Coach Marty Hawkins does not think so.

“We’re a very similar team to Northern,” Hawkins said Wednesday, mentioning his program has felt the seniors’ departure. “We’ve been a little unpredictable.”

NIU Coach Jane Albright agreed with the use of the word “similar” when matching up the two run-happy squads, but Albright would like to eliminate “unpredictable” as applied to NIU.

“More than anything, I think we know what we have to do to win now. I’ll be impressed when we do it for more than one game in a row,” said Albright, whose team downed Notre Dame 81-71 Tuesday night. “One game in a row is really nothing to be impressed about.”

Still, Albright said the team caught a “killer instinct” along with the win. Huskie starters also made modest improvements in the scoring average department.

Senior forward Shelly Roberts’ 19-point performance boosted her from 9.6 points per game to 10.4 ppg. Thus, NIU has four starters—guard Lisa Foss, center Tammy Hinchee, forward Gena Stubbs and Roberts—in double figures to match Loyola’s group of four.

owever, Loyola’s fifth starter is not far behind. Junior forward Amy Ridl hits at a 9.8 ppg clip. With two guards averaging 14.7 and 10.9 ppg, Hawkins is safe in saying his squad is a “good perimeter-shooting team.”

The Huskies also have a class outside shooter in Foss. But NIU may be better off working their inside game. Center Mary Just averages 10.1 rebounds per game but does not get much help. The Ramblers are lacking in height, with a pair of 5-foot-9-inch forwards.