DeKALB | Sunday night will present the NIU women’s basketball team an opportunity to prove whether its experience in tight games will pay off.

The Huskies (13-16 overall, 7-9 MAC) earned the seventh seed in the MAC Tournament after defeating Ball State, 49-46, Wednesday night. NIU will welcome Ohio (17-13, 9-6) at the Convocation Center for a first-round battle, with tip-off slated for 7 p.m.

“We believe every time we step between the lines, we can win,” said Huskie head coach Kathi Bennett. “When you have that mentality, we’re dangerous.”

Bennett’s reasoning for her squad being dangerous in the MAC Tournament is due to things coming together for NIU late in the season.

One factor of the Huskies’ late success has been Huskie center Ebony Ellis, who has been on a tear lately. Fresh off being named MAC West Player of the Week, Ellis averaged 19.5 points and 15.0 rebounds in that two-game stretch.

“That energy, you can feed off of it,” said NIU point guard Marke Freeman. “And it’s contagious; you can see it got to everybody on the court, to the coaches and to the bench.”

While Ellis and her Huskie teammates have some confidence in their play lately, currently riding a two-game winning streak, they aren’t going to get their heads stuck in the clouds of arrogance.

“We’re not to the point where we know we’re going to win games because any game could slip away from us,” Ellis said. “If we just keep doing the same things, good stuff, then good things are going to happen.”

In its lone meeting against the Bobcats earlier this season, NIU came out on top 56-48. The Huskies defense stalled Ohio on the offensive end, not allowing them to score in the first 10 minutes in the second half. NIU then used a 17-4 run to jump out to a 42-24 lead.

Nine different NIU players saw action in their regular season showdown against the Bobcats. But with it being playoff time, Bennett might use an ever tighter rotation of players, and also be flexible with how hard she’ll run her players in preparation leading up to the game.

“We play limited numbers,” Bennett said. “So, [in] practice, I have to be very conscious to keep their legs fresh.”