Aggressiveness.

That’s what NIU women’s basketball head coach Carol Owens believes to be the key to success in tonight’s match up with MAC opponent Buffalo at 7:05 at the Convocation Center.

“We have to come out and play hard,” Owens said. “Be the aggressors from the start.”

Owens hopes aggressiveness will help NIU (7-11 overall, 3-4 MAC) get more scoring opportunities against Buffalo, mainly from the free throw line.

“We didn’t get to the free throw line as much as Ohio did,” Owens said of Sunday night’s loss. The Huskies made it to the free throw line only 16 times, compared to Ohio’s 30 attempts.

Despite Sunday’s loss, Owens said the Huskies will have to come into the game with their heads held high if they want to win.

“We have to play with confidence and know we can get the job done,” Owens said.

The Huskies will need to stop sophomore Heather Turner, who was last year’s MAC Freshman of the Year.

Turner is 12th in the MAC in scoring with 13.8 points per game, second in rebounding at 8.1 per game and first in field-goal percentage with a mark of 64 percent.

On paper, NIU matches up with Buffalo (7-11, 2-5) closely.

Buffalo is ranked ninth in the MAC in scoring offense with 60.8 ppg, while the Huskies are ranked 10th with 60.7 ppg.

In scoring defense, Buffalo ranks fifth in the conference, allowing 64.7 ppg, compared to NIU’s 65.4 ppg, which puts the Huskies at sixth. The Huskies allow only 33.8 rebounds per game, ranking them first in the conference, while Buffalo allows 34.2 rebounds per game, ranking them second.

Owens stressed the impact a victory would have on her team.

“The game is important,” the first-year coach said. “A win would be very good for our team.”