Coming off a tough week in which they traveled a combined 20 hours over the span of four days for two games in Michigan, the Miami University women's basketball team returns to Millett Hall Saturday to take on Northern Illinois University (NIU).

The RedHawks are currently 12-1 in home games this year but the Huskies will certainly present a challenge as Miami looks to build on its success thus far heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

"We're looking for momentum," senior guard Maggie Boyer said. "We want to start building it now, especially as we get closer to the [Mid American Conference (MAC)] Tournament."

NIU comes to Oxford sporting a 10-12 overall record and a 4-6 mark in MAC play. However, the Huskies have won three of their past four games using stingy defense and rebounding to spark a late-season run.

"Northern Illinois' defense has been very solid recently, and that's why they're winning right now," Head Coach Maria Fantanarosa said. "[But] we're hoping to keep the offensive tempo up and I believe that will be the difference in this game."

If there is an element that has been essential to Miami's success, it has been a focus on the fundamentals. The team has not wavered from its target to control the "little things" such as defense, rebounding, foul shots and taking care of the basketball.

The 'Hawks have out-rebounded their opponents by an average of 3.8 boards per game while holding teams to just 37 percent shooting from the floor.

The RedHawks enter the contest at 17-6 overall record and 7-3 in conference play, putting them in second place in the MAC East Division behind top-ranked Bowling Green State University. While the Huskies' record will not scare anyone, their play as of late shows that Miami cannot afford to look past this game.

"This will be a good match-up to see because of the improvement both teams have made since the beginning of the year," Fantanarosa said. "At this point in the season, you have to throw the records out."

One of the keys to the game will be the offensive balance that Miami has showcased this season. Junior guard Courtney Osborn leads the team in scoring, averaging 18.7 points per game this season, which puts her third in the MAC in scoring.

Junior forward Kirsten Olowinski along with Boyer have been indispensable contributors and are both averaging double-figures this year at just over 11 points per game.

"The starters will need to set the tone because they're the ones who have been putting us in a position to win all year," Fantanarosa said. "That means they will need to be aggressive, attack the paint and control the boards."

As a part of "Box Out Cancer" Campaign, the RedHawks will kick off a double-header at Millett Hall starting at 1 p.m. Miami has not lost back-to-back games all season and is not looking to change that trend against the Huskies.

"We're going to keep doing what we've been doing and hopefully pull out a win," Boyer said.

"I'm confident in our offensive game, and if it's a defensive battle, then we look forward to that too."

Fans can listen to the game on Miami's IMG Sports Network or online at redhawkradio.com.