NIU women’s basketball looks to break its two-game losing skid as the team travels to Ball State for a 7 p.m. Saturday game.

The Cardinals (6-3 MAC, 11-9 overall) have not played since last Saturday when they topped Central Michigan 72-65.

With five of NIU’s 11 losses coming within five points, Huskies coach Carol Hammerle is emphasizing a strong start and finish to her players.

“We need to finish the game,” freshman point guard Stephanie Raymond said. “Sometimes we start off slow; sometimes we finish slow. At Ball State, we need to start with intensity and keep that for the whole game.”

Raymond leads NIU in assists (52) and steals (33) this season.

NIU will rely on their shooting defense, which has held opponents to a 36.7 field goal percentage from the field this season.

With Tuesday’s 79-69 loss to Western Michigan at the Convocation Center, NIU (9-11, 4-5) fell a game below .500 in MAC play.

Hammerle said she stressed to her team that they are playing above their record.

“She just said that we have to play our game and not worry so much about the other team,” Raymond said. “We need to do what we need to do”