CLEVELAND | Before the MAC tournament began, NIU women’s basketball coach Carol Owens included Kent State as a sleeper pick to go far in the tournament.

Owens’ premonition means the Huskies, No. 3 seed in the MAC West, will need to be wide awake when they play the Golden Flashes, the No. 2 seed in the MAC East, in the second round of the conference tourney. The showdown will take place Tuesday at 2 p.m. at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Huskies are coming off a 69-56 win over Akron in the first round of the tournament, while Kent State received a bye.

“We’re excited and looking forward to the game,” Owens said. “I’m trying to make sure there’s no nervousness there.”

The last time the two teams met was in February, when Kent State came back from a 19-point deficit to knock off the Huskies 78-71.

In the loss, NIU was plagued by foul trouble, costing three starters significant playing time. The Huskies also committed 26 turnovers, which led to 35 Kent State points.

Much of Kent State’s defense revolves around creating turnovers. The Golden Flashes are averaging just over 11 steals a game, tied for best in the MAC.

The Huskies were having success both outside and in the paint before the fouls began to mount.

“We’re going to watch film from that game,” Owens said. “We had a lot of things that worked that game.”

The Golden Flashes are led by the senior duo of guard Kristin Peoples and forward La’kia Stewart.

Peoples is averaging 16.6 points per game and snatching over two steals, while Stewart is averaging 13.7 points and eight rebounds a contest.

The Huskies know all about the ability of the senior pair. In the previous meeting between the two squads, Stewart poured in 27 points and Peoples added 25.

“We need to be ready for them,” Owens said. “They have some good seniors on the floor and we need to contain them.”