NIU guard Anthony Maestranzi certainly hopes history doesn’t repeat itself. It was three weeks ago on Jan. 4 when Maestranzi and the Huskies had their hearts broken by Bowling Green.

A layup by BGSU forward Cory Eyink with 6.5 seconds left on the clock was the deciding play in a 64-63 Falcons win.

“There is added motivation to this game after the way we lost,” the freshman point guard said. “We remember how it felt. We played so hard that game, and it was tough to lose like we did in the last seconds.”

The Huskies will play at 1 p.m. on Saturday at BGSU in hopes of gaining revenge.

NIU (8-8 overall, 4-2 MAC) is on a four-game winning streak, with its last defeat coming at the hands of the Falcons.

A balanced attack is what NIU will see from BGSU, as four players are averaging more than nine points per game.

Rebounding and opponents field goal percentage have been vital during the win streak, and NIU coach Rob Judson needs more of the same on Saturday.

“Rebounding is an effort stat,” Judson said. “So is your defensive field goal percentage. So, if our effort is up, then we’re hopeful that that effort on the boards will continue.”

In the previous meeting, NIU was able to out-rebound the Falcons 32-17, but BGSU was able to muster a field goal percentage of nearly 54 percent.