Using its exhibition game on Thursday night to its advantage, NIU found out it had a lot to work on.

Preseason games are used as a measuring stick to see where teams stand, and what needs to improve.

NIU got its first glance at Odyssey last night, and it didn’t look pretty.

“Preseason games are a measuring device,” said coach Carol Hammerle. “It doesn’t count, so it gives you an opportunity to see what you’re capable of. I think it shows a lot, at least I hope it showed our players a lot about how hard we have to work on the defense- and condition-wise.”

This game and next week’s matchup against the Chicago Challengers is important, but at the same time meaningless.

Having the ability to see which players look impressive, what concepts the team are understanding and what improvements need to be made are positive reinforcements that preseason games provide.

However, these games can be looked at negatively because they can affect the way the team feels about itself.

An example of this is last year when the Huskies impressively won a preseason game, and began the season 2-9.

Preseason games also have a way of getting rid of the rust that accumulates after not being in season. The Huskies got rid of some of that rust, but will need to work more on shooting as they shot 27 percent from the floor.

Monique Davis shot 1-7, Kristan Knake 2-11, Lindsay Secrest 3-11 and Jennifer Youngblood 1-4. However, that’s the advantage of preseason games because the bad statistics don’t count and players discover what to work on so they can be prepared for the season.

Freshman Jamie Wilson, after playing her first collegiate game, believed that this game was important for her so she can see where she stands at this level.

Co-captain Kim Boeding agrees with Hammerle and Wilson, stating that these games can be looked at as positive for the team.

“It’s good to get in a game situation and play against someone besides ourselves in practice,” said Boeding.