Women’s basketball will attempt to put an end to its six-game losing streak with a pair of winnable games.

The Huskies (8-16, 4-10 MAC) will take on the Toledo Rockets (13-12, 8-6 MAC) at 11:30 a.m. today at the Convocation Center. They will then face the Eastern Michigan Eagles (15-11, 5-10 MAC) at 1 p.m. Sunday in Ypsilanti, Mich.

Toledo

NIU lost to Toledo, 73-71, when the teams first met Jan. 9 in Toledo, Ohio. The Huskies, who trailed by as many as 18 points but outscored the Rockets 25-10 in the final nine-plus minutes, had a chance to force overtime, but a layup at the end of regulation wouldn’t go down.

The Rockets had won four games in a row until they dropped a 60-59 decision to the Western Michigan Broncos Sunday in Toledo.

The Rockets have the No. 6 scoring offense (67.5) in the MAC during conference play, while the Huskies present the No. 2 scoring defense (64.4); however, the Huskies have given up 89 and 85 points in their last two games, respectively, and head coach Kathi Bennett said the team will have to get back to playing defense to have a chance against Toledo.

“We’re not going to outscore anybody,” Bennett said. “We have to be more solid. We’re getting stretched out. We’re not stopping penetration. Our doubles are not switching.

“We have to be flying around and have a great deal of energy. We really have to bear down and play great defense.”

Bennett said guarding center Brianna Jones in the lane is a priority because she commands a double team. But she said the Huskies also have to watch out for guards Andola Dortch, Janelle Reed-Lewis and Inma Zanoguera, who can all lead the fast break.

“When they rebound they really attack the rim,” Bennett said. “They live in transition and try to get to the paint off both screens and flares.”

Eastern Michigan

NIU will take on Eastern Michigan, which has the No. 4 scoring offense (69.2) but the No. 10 scoring defense (73.1) in the MAC.

The Huskies grounded the Eagles, 77-54, Jan. 12 at the Convocation Center. The 54 points scored by EMU is still its lowest offensive output this season. Junior guard Amanda Corral scored a career-high 30 points, as NIU beat EMU for the first time since Jan. 17, 2009.

“They want to press and trap and try to get you to turn the ball over,” Bennett said. “We have to help, take care of the ball, get good looks and not get caught up playing their game. If we get good shots that’s going to blend into us getting back and getting set on defense.

“They want to shoot quick shots; they don’t care about getting quality looks. If they have a quick-shot mentality, it has to be one shot and we get the defensive rebound. We do those things [and] our chances of winning go up dramatically.”