Certain losses are tougher to stomach than others, and for the Huskies, Saturday’s 75-72 loss at Akron makes them want to.

Not only had Akron won only four games this season, it had never beaten NIU in eight tries.

“It bothered us all,” NIU women’s basketball head coach Jane Albright-Dieterle said of the loss. “(But) we’ve finished talking about (the game). I don’t want to berate my players. I don’t think it would be smart to dwell on the negative.”

One of the positives to come out of the game was sophomoreE.C. Hill. NIU’s point guard scored 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. In NIU’s 117-115 win against Cleveland State Thursday, Hill scored 18 points and recorded a team-high six assists.

“She was a real good rose to come out of the week,” Albright-Dieterle said.

The Huskies (11-9, 6-2) now gear their attention to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, whom they play today (5:15 p.m.). The game will mark the return of NIU senior guard Dee Dee Jeske, who sat out Saturday’s game with sore knees.

UW-M, who isn’t in a conference, is 13-8 and won its last game 70-61 against Chicago State.

“We’re playing well right now,” UW-M head coach M.A. Kelling said. “Our defense is holding up well.”

Also holding up well for the Panthers are their two inside players, junior Niki Flack and senior Teresa Teske Flack, a 6-1 center, is averaging 12.9 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. Teske, a 6-0 forward, is averaging 11.6 points and 7.3 rebounds a game.

“Both complement each other,” Kelling said.