Jan. 3, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. -
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Northwestern women's basketball team will look to build on a 52-46 win over Michigan State when it travels just 10 miles south into the city of Chicago for an intracity showdown with the DePaul Blue Demons. This will mark the 19th all-time meeting between the two teams, including each of the last nine years.
NU holds a 12-6 advantage; however, the Blue Demons have won three straight over the Wildcats and six of the last 10. The game is being contested at DePaul's Athletic Center (3,000) and is NU's last nonconference action of 2002-03.
DePaul is also the first ranked team NU has faced this season. The Blue Demons moved up one spot to No. 24 (ESPN/USA Today) after defeating then-No.21 George Washington, 64-46, on Dec. 22. The Wildcat/Blue Demon matchup is DePaul's first since returning from its holiday break.
Unlike its nemesis from Chicago, the Wildcats have played two games-both Big Ten contests-since returning from a nine-day layoff. After a disappointing loss to Ohio State (82-49) on Tuesday, NU rebounded by defeating Michigan State on Thursday. The win was Northwestern's first regular-season conference victory since Jan. 20, 2000, a string of 43 conference games.
"People have been saying we got the monkey off our backs, but that was more like King Kong," head coach June Olkowski said about breaking the streak.
With the confidence-building win against the Spartans, the Wildcats look to tackle its first ranked opponent of the the new year. Just a year ago, NU took top-10 opponents Iowa State, Purdue and Wisconsin down the wire, losing in the final minutes of each contest. This year, experience should benefit the Wildcats as all five starters return from a lesson-packed 2001-02.
Wildcat Quickies
* Sarah Kwasinski, a sophomore, reached 500 in her career when
she scored 18 points against Morehead State in the first round
of the Denver Classic. She now has 546.
* Leslie Dolland was voted team captain.
* Eleven of NU's 14 players hail from different states.
* Three of NU's four coaches have head coaching experience.
-Olkowski at Arizona and NU
-Darling at the Air Force Academy
-Grennan at St. Joseph's (Pa.)
* Sue Darling spent two years (1996-97) working for the Seattle
Reign (ABL) as an assistant coach.
* Samantha McComb and Sarah Kwasinski are the only two
Wildcats to start every game this season.
* The eight three-pointers NU hit against Michigan State is a
season high.
* The Wildcat defense held Michigan State to season lows in
points (46), field goals made (16), field goal percentage (.281),
free throws made (seven) and free throw percentage (.500).
* Northwestern has held three of its 12 opponents below 30 per-
cent shooting from the field.
* NU's last Big Ten win was against Minnesota on Jan. 20, 2000.
* Head coach June Olkowski is 0-3 vs. DePaul since her hiring
three years ago.
* DePaul's Sarah Kustok is the sister of former NU star, Zak
Kustok, who owns numerous football records. Zak Kustok played
for the Wildcats from 1999-01, after transferring from Notre
Dame.
* Evanston, where Northwestern is located, is the first suburb
north of Chicago, where DePaul is found.