February 11, 1999
Northwestern Wildcats (10-12, 4-8) at Michigan State Spartans (12-11, 6-7)
February 12, 1999 (7:30 p.m. CST)
WNUR (89.3 FM)
at Iowa Hawkeyes (9-13, 4-8)
February 14, 1999 (2 p.m. CST)
WNUR (89.3 FM)
Northwestern hits the road for two important Big Ten games this weekend. On Friday, the Wildcats are at Michigan State and will try to avenge an earlier season loss (73-64) to the Spartans. On Sunday, NU plays at Iowa for the only meeting between the two teams this season. Heading into this weekend's action, the Wildcats and Hawkeyes are tied for eighth in the conference, both with 4-8 records.
The Michigan State Series
NU owns a 20-17 record against the Spartans in a series that began during the 1975-76 season. On Jan. 5, MSU captured a 73-64 victory. The Spartans won the only meeting between the two teams last year, a 76-65 win in East Lansing. The last time the Wildcats posted a victory in the series was Jan. 20, 1995, when they defeated the Spartans, 67-61, in Evanston. Since then, MSU has won the last six meetings.
The Iowa Series
The Hawkeyes own a 25-9 lead in the series with Northwestern that dates back to the 1979-80 season. They have won the last six meetings, including two games last year, 65-58 in Iowa City and 79-72 in Evanston. The last time NU defeated Iowa was Jan. 22, 1995 (58-57 in Iowa City).
The Weekend Tips
* Head coach Don Perrelli needs one more victory to notch his 250th career win at Northwestern.
* Northwestern has always been a team to finish the season strong. In the 1990s, the 'Cats are 29-7 in their last four regular season games. NU's Last Game: #18 Penn State 92, NU 63 Sophomore guard Lisa Shepherd poured in 27 points to lead No. 18 Penn State past Northwestern, 92-63, last Sunday. It was the second victory for the Lady Lions over the Wildcats this season. NU was without sophomore point guard Dana Leonard, who did not suit up because of a badly bruised left shin suffered in Friday's win at Illinois. Penn State opened the game with seven straight points and never looked back, owning a 45-25 halftime edge. Junior forward Leslie Schock finished with 16 points for Northwestern. Senior guard Megan Chawansky and sophomore forward Clarissa Flores each had 14 points, while senior guard Shannon McGarrigle added a career-high 11 points and six assists. Junior guard Helen Darling of Penn State had the only double-double of the game with 18 points and 13 assists.
The First Michigan State Meeting (Jan. 5, 1999)
Senior guard Megan Chawansky led a Northwestern rally late in the second half that brought the Wildcats from 13 points down (65-52 at the 6:29 mark) to only one point down (65-64 with 2:04 remaining), but Michigan State held on for a 73-64 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Chawansky scored eight points during NU's run and finished with game-highs of 24 points, seven assists and five steals.
For MSU, junior forward Kristen Rasmussen had 12 points and sophomore center Erin Skelly scored a season-high 10 points in the first half to give MSU a 36-29 lead at the half. Junior guard Maxann Reese gained the hot hand in the second half, tallying nine of the Spartan's first 14 points.
Reese led Michigan State with 20 points, while Rasmussen totaled 16 markers. The Wildcats got 14 points and eight rebounds from Leslie Schock. Sophomore point guard Dana Leonard finished with 12 points.
Time Announced for Purdue Game
Northwestern's final regular season home game against No. 2 Purdue will tipoff at 4 p.m. CST on Sun., Feb. 21, in Welsh-Ryan Arena. The game will be televised as Fox Sports Chicago's Big Ten Game of the Week. It is FSC's last televised game before the start of the conference tournament. Head coach Don Perrelli will make his final appearance on the Welsh-Ryan Arena sideline, while the game will also feature a pregame ceremony honoring Northwestern's three seniors (Chawansky, Giblin and McGarrigle).
All-Around Game
Senior guard Megan Chawansky is one of the most complete players to ever wear a Northwestern uniform. With her six assists at Illinois, she became the first player in NU history to record 1,600 points, 600 rebounds, 500 assists and 150 steals in her career. (see career totals on page four.)
Double-Doubles
Sophomore center Tami Sears owns a team-high five double-doubles this season, tied for ninth among other Big Ten players. Her double-doubles have come against: DePaul (14 points, 11 rebounds), Stanford (11 points, 12 rebounds), California (14 points, 14 rebounds), Illinois (13 points, 14 rebounds) and Minnesota (21 points, 11 rebounds). Junior forward Leslie Schock registered her third double-double of the season and sixth of her career with 22 points and 11 rebounds at Illinois. Her other two double-doubles this season have come against Ohio State (16 points, 10 rebounds) and Indiana (25 points, 11 rebounds). Senior guard Megan Chawansky, who has 10 double-doubles for her career, registered her first this season at Wisconsin with 17 points and 13 rebounds. She had another one five days later at Penn State with 24 points and 10 rebounds.
Injury Report
* Junior forward Leah Berki suffered a broken nose at Minnesota on Jan. 31. She will play with a protective mask. * Preseason All-American Kristina Divjak will miss the remainder of the 1998-99 season. She underwent surgery Dec. 28 for a condition in her left knee known as lateral patella compression syndrome. According to team athletic trainer Jackie Wise, the surgery was a success and Divjak is progressing quite well in her rehabilitation process. Divjak is eligible to return as a fifth-year senior. The 6-0 senior forward and co-captain played in four games this season, averaging 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before being sidelined. She tallied a season-high 27 points in a loss to then No. 22-ranked UC-Santa Barbara on Nov. 18.
Schock's Scoring
Junior forward Leslie Schock has reached double figures in scoring in 18 of 21 games this season. Schock reached double figures 10-straight times earlier this season, the longest streak for any Wildcat. Earlier this year, she recorded three-straight 20-plus scoring efforts. She scored 22 points and had nine rebounds at Cal. She tallied 25 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the win over Indiana. She then scored a career-high 26 points, while shooting 11-of-13 from the field in the win over UW-Milwaukee.
Schock is NU's second-leading scorer and rebounder this year with 15.1 ppg and 6.7 rpg. She is second on the team with a .535 field goal percentage, having hit 137-of-256 shots from the floor.
Moving Up the Career Scoring Chart
Chawansky moved into fifth place on Northwestern's all-time scoring list against Penn State last Sunday. She surpassed Julie Calahan who totaled 1,648 points for the Wildcats from 1978-81. Chawansky has 1,653 career points and could move into fourth place on the scoring chart with 36 more points. (See career charts on next page).
Dishing Out Assists
Senior guard Megan Chawansky moved into fourth place on Northwestern's all-time assist chart after she dished out seven assists at Wisconsin. Chawansky surpassed Laura Wiesen (1983-86) and now has 505 career assists to her credit. Chawansky became the fourth Wildcat to join the 500-assist club at NU, and only the 11th player in Big Ten history to do so after dishing out six assists at Illinois. (See career charts on next page).
Gettin' to the Line
At Stanford, Chawansky made eight free throws to move into second place on the school's all-time free throws attempted chart. She has now gone to the line 622 times during her career. This season, Chawansky has gone to the line more than any other Wildcat (143 times). She averages 6.5 trips to the line a game. (See career charts on next page.)
New Face
The Wildcats had a new player join the team on Jan. 4. Freshman Ashley Messenger, a 5-10 guard, hails from Scottsdale, Ariz., and is a product of Sagurao High School. She averaged 22.4 ppg as a senior and was twice named all-state in addition to being named Scottsdale's Player of the Year last season. She has yet to play in a game for Northwestern.
Attendance Mark Broken
Northwestern set a Welsh-Ryan Arena women's basketball attendance record against Ohio State as 3,779 fans turned out for "Pack the Place 1999." The Wildcats broke the old single- game attendance record of 3,665 set on Jan. 16, 1998 for the NU-Wisconsin game.
Head Coach Don Perrelli
Don Perrelli (Southern Connecticut State, 1961) is in his 15th season at the helm of the Wildcats and 23rd as a collegiate head coach. He is one win shy of notching his 250th career victory at Northwestern. His overall record now stands at 424-248, while he owns a 249-177 record with the Wildcats. NU has advanced to postseason play six times during Perrelli's tenure. (more on next page.)
On Jan. 20, Perrelli announced his retirement effective at the end of this season. He has been honored by two schools for his contributions to women's basketball. On Jan. 27, before the start of the Penn State game, Coach Rene Portland presented Perrelli with the Nittany Lion Award and a sweatshirt. Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz presented Perrelli with a Big Bertha golf club to enjoy during his retirement.
NU Career Record Book Update
Senior co-captain Megan Chawansky ranks among the all-time Northwestern leaders in nine categories. She recently moved into 10th on the school's all-time steals chart.
Career Points Career Assists 3. Maureen Holohan (1,699) 2. Moira Kennelly (546) 4. Michele Savage (1,688) 3. Amber DeWall (541) 5. M. Chawansky (1,653) 4. M. Chawansky (505)Career Three-Pointers Made Career Three-Point Att. 1. Michele Ratay (244)* 1. Michele Ratay (629)* 2. Kristina Divjak (218) 2. Kristina Divjak (533) 3. Moira Kennelly (173) 3. Moira Kennelly (454) 4. M. Chawansky (125) 4. M. Chawansky (356)
Career Free Throws Made Career Free Throw Att. 1. Anucha Browne (469) 1. Anucha Browne (719) 2. Michele Ratay (442) 2. M. Chawansky (622) 3. M. Chawansky (421) Katrina Hannaford (387) 4. Nancy Kennelly (385)
Career Rebounding 7. Amy Prichard (653) 8. Katrina Hannaford (652) 9. Maureen Holohan (272) 10. Kristina Divjak (264)
Career Steals 8. Connie Erickson (183) Games Played 9. Megan Chawansky (180) 4. Michele Ratay (120) 10. Julie Egan( 175) 5. Amy Prichard (118) 6. Nancy Kennelly (116) * Big Ten record 7. Megan Chawansky (115)
NU Signs Four to Letters of Intent
NU snagged one of the top 20 classes in the country, according to Joe Smith of the Women's Basketball News Service. Head coach Don Perrelli announced the signing of four high school seniors to play at Northwestern beginning in the fall of 1999:
Emily Butler (point guard, 5-8, Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) Nicole Daniels (guard/forward, 5-10, White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) Leslie Dolland (center, 6-2, Bloomington, Minn./The Blake School) Natalie Will (forward, 5-9, Nappanee, Ind./Northwood)
"It's a very, very good recruiting class for us," Perrelli enthused. "We hit all our areas of need. Butler is a very good point guard, Will is an excellent outside shooter, Daniels is a "3" player with athletic ability and Dolland is a strong "5" player in the post."
Wildcats in the Big Ten (as of Feb. 8)
Scoring (All Games) Megan Chawansky - 6th (16.6 ppg) Leslie Schock - 9th (15.1 ppg)Rebounds (All Games) Tami Sears - tied for 4th (8.0 rpg)
Steals (All Games) Megan Chawansky - 5th (2.05 spg)
Field Goal Percentage (All Games) Leslie Schock - 5th (.535)
Assists (All Games) Megan Chawansky - 3rd (5.59 apg)
3-pt. Field Goal Percentage (All Games) Dana Leonard - 6th (.348, 47-for-135)
Scoring (Conference games only) Megan Chawansky - 7th (15.9 ppg)
Rebounding (Conference games only) Tami Sears - 9th (7.3 rpg)
Steals (Conference games only) Megan Chawansky - 7th (1.92 spg)
Field Goal Percentage (Conference games only) Leslie Schock - 9th (.497)
Assists (Conference games only) Megan Chawansky - 3rd (5.83 apg)
Free Throw Percentage (Conference games only) Megan Chawansky - tied for 6th (.781, 50-for-64)