There's no question the Nipissing Lakers women's basketball team has taken strides in the right direction, now it's about seeing those strides in the win column.

They managed their first win in the final weekend of 2016, defeating Waterloo before falling short to Laurier to close out the first half of the year, but now they're hungry for more.

The Lakers will host a pair of games this weekend, facing McMaster and Brock at the RJS Athletic Centre with valuable wins on the line.

Friday, McMaster, who sits with an impressive 6-1 record is the foe.

Like Nipissing, McMaster enters the new year having split their final two games of 2016, defeating Ottawa, before losing to Carleton.

The Marauders rank fourth in the OUA in points scored, so the Lakers will have to be at their best defensively if they want a shot at their second win of the season.

On Saturday, Nipissing will entertain the Badgers, a team that has dropped three in a row after kicking off the season with two wins in their first three games.

Neither the Lakers nor the Badgers are a high scoring team, so Saturday's matchup should be a defensive-minded game, with the team that's able to put up points in bunches and take advantage of their opportunities, likely earning the win.

Still very much alive in the playoff picture, the Lakers can use a strong start to the weekend to really propel themselves up the standings and although it won't be easy, Nipissing knows what they have to do to be successful.

Still battling some injuries, the rest over the Christmas break should give Nipissing a shot in the arm, as they have recharged the batteries and are hoping to come out with energy in their first action.

Both games are set for 6pm this weekend, Friday versus McMaster and Saturday against Brock at the rJS Athletic Centre.