Dec. 30, 2006
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Wildcats (9-3) will face Northwestern State (5-6) at noon on New Year's Eve in their final tune-up before the start of Big Ten play Jan. 3 at Penn State. Northwestern is going for win No. 10 and its ninth win in 10 games.
Northwestern State comes into Sunday's game without its top two scorers in Trey Gilder (hand) and Jermaine Spencer (ankle). The Demons, who knocked off Iowa last year in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, suffered their worst loss in 77 games with the 97-67 loss at DePaul on Friday night.
Sunday's game is Take A Kid to the Game Day, so two children in the eighth grade and under will be admitted free with each paid adult. Plus, an autograph session with the entire team will follow the game, so you can meet and talk to all of your favorite Wildcat players.
A Northwestern Win Would ...
Improve the Wildcats to 10-3, marking the seventh-straight year the Wildcats have reached double-digits in the win column. Northwestern has won at least 11 games in all of Carmody's seasons, a program first, and it would mark the first time the 'Cats have reached double-figures in the win column seven straight seasons since 1938.
Mark the best beginning to a season after 13 games since the Wildcats started 11-2 back during the 1982-83 season.
Improve the Wildcats to 8-1 this season at home.
Give the Wildcats their fourth win in a row and ninth in the last 10 games.
Last Time Out: NU 66, Loyola (Md.) 60
Led by senior center Vince Scott, Northwestern used a strong second half against Loyola of Maryland to earn a 66-60 win. Scott registered a career-high 16 points and Craig Moore added 14 as the Wildcats overcame a 33-26 halftime deficit. Down by nine early in the second half, NU went on a 21-7 run over the next 10 minutes to take a 47-42 lead on Jeff Ryan's two free throws with 9:07 left. Scott was 7-for-7 from the field and now has connected on his last 12 field goals dating to the win over Utah at the San Juan Shootout when he went 5-for-5. Tim Doyle (13) and Kevin Coble (11) also finished in double figures for the Wildcats and had six assists and four steals apiece. The Wildcats turned up the defensive pressure after halftime, forcing Loyola into 12 second-half turnovers and 18 for the game. Despite hitting just 6 3-pointers, NU kept the Greyhounds at bay by sinking 18-of-26 from the FT line.
About The Demons
The Demons knocked off No. 3-seed Iowa last year in the first round NCAA Tournament on a last second buzzer-beater in Auburn Hills, Mich. They would lose to West Virginia, 67-54, in the second round.
Northwestern State has won the Southland Conference championship the past two seasons, going 21-12 in 2004-05 and 26-8 last season.
Trey Gilder (14.2 ppg), Colby Bargeman (11.5 ppg) and Luke Rogers (12.0 ppg) lead the Northwestern State offensive attack. Rogers is the only starter back from last year's NCAA Tournament team while Gilder is out with a broken hand.
Head coach Mike McConathy, a two-time Southland Conference Coach of the Year, is in his eighth season in Natchitoches. Last year he led the Demons to the NCAA Tournament where, as a No. 14 seed, upset No. 3 seed Iowa in the first round--the Demons' first NCAA Tournament win in school history. They captured the SLC regular-season and tournament titles, going 26-8 overall. Prior to Northwestern State, McConathy was the head coach at Bossier Parish Community College for 16 years and was a four-year letterwinner as a player at Louisiana Tech from 1973-77.
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