DeKALB | It’s never fun to be away from home, even if it’s below freezing.

At least that’s true for the NIU women’s basketball team, as it will face off against Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne at 6 p.m. tonight.

NIU (13-6) is looking to finish a three-game road trip by posting victories in two of its last three contests. A win for coach Carol Owens against IPFW (9-9) would not only make this three-game stretch a success, but would be a success in itself.

“We’re going to have to fight adversity for 40 minutes,” Owens said. “Any road victory is a success.”

The path to victory won’t be easy, as IPFW possesses a dual threat in its backcourt. Johnna Lewis-Carlisle and Ashley Johnson have proved to be a devastating duo, as they average 17.2 and 14.8 points per game, respectively.

“They’re like a 1-2 punch for them,” Owens said. “We’ve got to limit their touches on the offensive end.”

The two guards also lead the team in rebounding, with Johnson and Lewis-Carlisle averaging 4.9 and 4.2 boards per game, respectively.

While the two are leading the Mastodons in rebounding, IPFW as a team is on the negative end of the rebounding margin.

NIU enters the game on the opposite side of the rebounding margin, and looks to exploit its opponent’s weakness. The Huskies will have multiple weapons at their disposal, as three players are averaging more than 10 points per game.

Senior guard Stephanie Raymond is leading the Huskies with 19.5 points per game. Kristin Wiener is adding 14.5 points per game, while Whitney Lowe is chipping in 10.5 points per contest.

NIU is hoping co-captain Mary Basic has back-to-back solid nights. The senior had a season high 18 points in the win over Buffalo on Saturday.