Dec. 13, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
SIU Game Notes
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Coming off its 10th Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational championship, Northwestern's women's basketball team finds itself with a 3-3 record as the Salukis of Southern Illinois invade Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Southern comes into tonight's game with a 3-2 overall record and averaging 67.4 points per game. NU puts up 52.8 per night while holding its opponent to a 56.7 average. SIU opponents score 68.6 points per game on the average.
Scoring threats for NU come from a variety of sources, but four of NU's top five scorers this season are sophomores. The ever-ready Sarah Kwasinski leads the team with 15.3 points per game while Samantha McComb (9.2), Melissa Culver (5.7) and Kristen Ambrose (5.3) rank second, fourth and fifth, respectively. McComb is 10th in the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage (10-for-31, .323) while Culver and Ambrose have combined for 20 assists and 11 steals. In NU's last game Ambrose had her best outing of the year. She scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds. NU won that game 57-43 over Alabama-Birmingham (UAB) in the championship game of the Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational. McComb lit up Yale for 19 points in the first round, which included three three-pointers.
Defense was the name of the game last time out, with the Wildcats coming up with a season-high 13 steals. Sarah Kwasinski, who is 30 points from 500, racked up a season-high four steals and blocked two shots. Melissa Culver matched Kwasinski's defensive effort with four swipes of her own. Kwasinski and Culver lead the team with 13 and 10 steals apiece.
Senior forward Leslie Dolland averages 18.2 minutes per game, but has started five of six games this season. While statistics are not her strongest suit, she brings all the intangibles to the floor. Being a senior, Dolland understands the trials and tribulations a Big Ten season can bring. She also understands the importance of a productive nonconference season.
"Leslie is one of our leaders," said head coach June Olkowski. "I can talk until I'm blue in the face, but when the players hear what I'm trying to teach from a teammate, it sinks in a little more."
Dolland's ability to relay Coach Olkowski's message to the underclassman is starting to take shape, proving its worth in last week's tournament championship.