It’s not the opponents the NIU women’s basketball team needs to focus on – it’s themselves, coach Carol Hammerle said.

“It’s more about us right now than who we play,” said Hammerle, whose team has blown back-to-back halftime leads. “We just need to focus on ourselves.”

NIU will host Akron at 2:05 p.m. Saturday at the Convocation Center and try to get back on the winning track. Prior to the Huskies’ last two losses, they had won three in a row.

Akron (1-15 overall, 1-4 MAC) is coming off its first victory of the season, which snapped its nation-leading 22-game losing streak dating back to last season.

“Obviously Akron does not have a great record, but they are getting better each game,” Hammerle said. “They beat Buffalo, and are confident, so we need to go out there and respect them.”

The Huskies (5-10, 2-2) turned the ball over a season-high 28 times Wednesday in their last game against Ball State. NIU also went from shooting 54 percent first-half to 8 percent in the second half.

“We need to value each possession of the ball and really get back to the fundamentals because I know we can play with anyone,” Hammerle said.