Dec. 18, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. -
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NORTHWESTERN (3-7)
vs. Long Beach State (0-5)
Date/Time: Tuesday, Dec. 18/7 p.m. CST
Site: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
Capacity: 8,117
Winner of three of its last five games, the NU women's basketball team is improving each time it takes the floor as the nonconference season comes to a close. On Dec. 22, the Wildcats start the 16-game Big Ten schedule as the Iowa Hawkeyes come to Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Hawkeyes are 7-3 so far in their nonconference schedule.
The Wildcats cannot afford to look ahead though, if they want to keep the momentum they have produced in the last five games. Long Beach State enters Welsh-Ryan Arena tonight with an 0-5 record, including overtime losses to Syracuse (76-70) and Northern Illinois (73-66). Almost exactly a year ago, Dec. 15, 2000, the Wildcats traveled to Long Beach State and were sent away with a 91-77 loss.
In that game, junior forward Natalie Will led all scorers with 25 points and shot 9-of-12 from the floor, including 6-of-7 from three-point land. Emily Butler finished with 20 points, and Bill?e Russell had eight points and eight rebounds.
Last year, LBSU was led by 6-foot-1 forward Ekuah Ramsey as she finished with 22 points. Ramsey, a senior this year, had five points last Sunday vs. Indiana.
This year's Wildcats are led by freshman center Sarah Kwasinski. With Butler out of the lineup due to injury, the highly touted freshman from Chicago leads the team with 12.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. Although she struggled against Eastern Illinois (7 points, 4 rebounds) Kwasinski did walk away with five steals and two blocks to go along with three assists. She currently is second on the team with 20 assists, has four double-doubles and is ranked 24th on the Big Ten's scoring list.
Against Eastern Illinois, senior Ashley Messenger and junior Leslie Dolland each had season-high efforts, as Messenger poured in 11 points (5-of-6) and Dolland had a game-high 14 (6-of-9). They also combined for nine rebounds and three steals. Will and freshman Samantha McComb each had four assists and had just one turnover combined.
Bench Marks
Senior Ashley Messenger and junior Leslie Dolland came off the Wildcat bench against Eastern Illinois, sparking a 20-6 run to end the first half and give NU a 13-point halftime lead. Messenger and Dolland converted four fast break layups, combining to score 13 of NU's 20 points in the decisive run. The two veterans led the team in scoring-Dolland had 14, Messenger had 11.
Charity Stripe
Ten games into the season, Northwestern has hit 118-of-166 free throw attempts. That's 71 percent, fourth in the Big Ten. NU is led by freshman Sarah Kwasinski, who is shooting 81 percent from the line (26-for-32).
Top Performer
Freshman center Sarah Kwasinski continues to stand out, as she was one of the Big Ten's "Top Performers" for her play against Iowa State on Dec. 8. She turned in a career-best performance against fifth-ranked Iowa State, netting 18 of her game-high 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the second half. She also led all rebounders with 10, including seven on the offensive glass.
One is the Loneliest Number
Freshman Melissa Culver has come within one assist of attaining double figures three times this season. She currently has 52 helpers this season, good enough to rank her third on the Big Ten's assist list. Only Penn State's Jess Strom (68-7.56) and Wisconsin's Tamara Moore (74-7.40) rank higher.
Starting Young
For the first time this season, Coach Olkowski started four true freshmen against Eastern Illinois. Guard Samantha McComb earned her first collegiate start as Melissa Culver, Sarah Kwasinski and Suzanne Morrison joined her. Junior Natalie Will was the only non-freshman starter.
Quick Studies
There are six newcomers to the 2002 women's basketball squad. This group has made the transition from high school to college (with the exception of Anya Walker-JuCo transfer) and stepped right into the Wildcat lineup. In fact, NU has scored 602 total points this season, and 340 of those have been scored by the newest members of the team. That's 56 percent of the offense.
Double Trouble
Freshmen Sarah Kwasinski and Suzanne Morrison are the only two Wildcats to reach the double-double (points/rebounds) plateau this season. In fact, Kwasinski has reached that plateau four times in her first 10 games. That number is good enough to rank her in a third-place tie in the Big Ten statistics. Morrison has just one, but has come within one rebound in two other games.
NU vs. Long Beach State
Series Record: LBS leads 2-1
Last NU win: Jan. 16, 1982 (75-58)
Last LBSU win: Dec. 15, 2000 (91-77)
Current Win Streak: LBSU- 2 wins
In Evanston: 1-0
at Long Beach: 0-2
Neutral Site: n/a
Series Notes: Olkowski is 0-1 against the 49ers in her two-plus years.
Freshmen PT
As the Wildcats took the floor for the season opener, true freshman Suzanne Morrison made her collegiate debut. Classmate Sarah Kwasinski broke into the lineup two games later, earning the start against Florida International. In all, the freshman class has made a considerable contribution already in this young season. Four of the five members of the 2005 class have started a game and all five have seen considerable action this season.
"Assist"ing Others
Since her insertion in the starting lineup against DePaul, Melissa Culver has averaged 6.5 assists per game. She is presently on pace to dish out 146 assists this season.
Board Games
As a team, NU is seventh in the conference in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.7 a game. But, 6-foot-5-inch Sarah Kwasinski is fourth on the conference's individual list, pulling down 3.20 caroms a game. Indiana's Jill Chapman leads the league with 4.22 rebounds per game. Not to be outdone, classmate Suzanne Morrison averages 2.60 offensive boards a contest.
Don't Call It a Comeback
Junior Anya Walker is back this year after sitting out the entire 2000-01 season with turf toe. The Wisconsin native is averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The shooting guard is tied for the team lead in three pointers, draining nine so far this season. Forty-five of Walkers 74 shot attempts have been from beyond the arc.
Rebounding Margin
With 10 games under its belt, NU has outrebounded opponents 401-370, averaging 40.1 caroms per contest. Six-foot-five inch Sarah Kwasinski is leading the rebounding attack, pulling down 7.5 boards per game. Classmate Suzanne Morrison is on her heels, averaging 6.5 caroms per contest.
Offensive Glass
Freshmen Sarah Kwasinski and Suzanne Morrison are NU's top two rebounders so far this season. Not only are they grabbing rebounds every time down the floor, they are pulling down offensive rebounds, a must for any team to be competitive. The two have combined to grab 58 of NU's 117 individual offensive boards (team rebounds equal 20).
World Traveler
Senior Ashley Messenger went on a nine-day tour of Europe this summer during which she helped the Big Ten women's basketball foreign tour team go a perfect 5-0. The Big Ten outscored its opponents by an average of 38.4 points per contest. During the tour, Messenger averaged 4.4 points and played in all five games. She averaged 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game, and scored seven points against Martigny and Troistorents.
Top 21
Freshman Sarah Kwasinski, a standout center from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., was named to womenscollegehoops.com's Preseason Top 21 New Players of Impact for the upcoming 2001-02 season.