One last time on the road.

The phrase is music to the ears of the NIU women’s basketball team.

After compiling a 4-9 record on the road this season, the Huskies (11-13, 7-6 MAC) will make their last road trip of the season when they head to Mount Pleasant to take on Central Michigan (10-14, 4-9 MAC) today at 7 p.m., after a week away from game play.

“We’re going to play to have fun,” NIU coach Carol Hammerle said. “I’ve been really pressuring our team lately. We need to just go out and play basketball and have fun doing it.”

NIU enters the game losers of three of its last five games and has fallen to seventh in the league standings after a 62-43 setback to Eastern Michigan on Feb. 18.

In that game, the Huskies turned the ball over 22 times leading to 18 points by the Eagles. Kristan Knake was the only Huskie to reach double figures collecting 11 points.

Despite averaging 44 points in the last two games, Hammerle will continue to use the same lineup to start the game.

“I’m going to stay with the same starters,” Hammerle said. “I am going to try to rotate players off the bench and get everybody in the first half.”

Central Michigan enters Wednesday’s contest losers of three straight.

Its most recent setback came at home to Buffalo where the home team made just six of 25 shots in the first half and could never recover.

Freshman Erin Kuhl led the Chippewas with 17 points to up her season average to 10 points per game.

Along with Kuhl, CMU starts two more freshman to go along with two seniors.

If the MAC Tournament were to start today, the Huskies would host a first round game while the Chippewas would be on the road.

The fourth through the eighth seeds host first round games.

After CMU, the Huskies will have games against Kent State and Western Michigan.

“Having a week off was good timing for our team,” Hammerle said. “Hopefully we’re going to see a different team out there tonight.”