Jan. 26, 2007
Illinois Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- The Wildcats travel south to Urbana-Champaign for a 2 p.m. contest against intra-state rival Illinois on Sunday. This is the first and the last time these two squads will meet on the hardwood in the 2006-07 campaign, and both squads are looking to rebound from losses last time out.
Last Time Out ...
Northwestern fell to No. 12 Purdue, 72-30, Thursday night at Mackey Arena. Sophomore Nadia Bibbs was 5-of-7 from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc, to lead the 'Cats with 15 points. With the loss, Northwestern drops to 6-15, 0-8 on the season.
"Purdue did a great job defensively today," head coach Beth Combs said. "They put us back on our heels. There's a reason they are one of the best teams in the nation. There were some bright spots internally--those that did not show up in the boxscore. We just need to continue to move forward."
The Boilermakers lived up to their No. 12 ranking, shutting down the Wildcat offense and allowing a season-low 13 points in the first half. Bibbs led NU with seven points in the first frame. The Chicago native's 15 total points was one shy of a career best.
Purdue continued their offensive attack in the second half, fueled largely by an 86 percent shooting effort from beyond the arc.
Scouting the Illini
Illinois meets the Wildcats for the first--and only--time this season, looking to rebound after a 62-52 showing against No. 5 Ohio State on Thursday. The Illini are led by sophomore Lori Bjork, who is averaging 14.4 ppg, and tallied 11 points against the Buckeyes. Danyel Crutcher and Jenna Smith joined Bjork in double-figures, leading the squad with 12 points each. Illinois is outscoring its opponents by an average of 10 points per game and is shooting 35 percent as a team from beyond the arc. The Illini compiled a 13-2 mark over the first 15 games, but have dropped three out of the last six contests--all of which have been in league action.
The Series with Illinois
The 'Cats hold a 31-25 advantage over the Illini in the all-time series, but have not won a game since Feb. 5, 1999. The last time these two teams met, Northwestern nearly ended that streak, playing Illinois to a one-point game at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Senior Day. Then-senior Ifeoma Okonkwo led the 'Cats on her final home game with a game-high 23 points, while Nadia Bibbs and A.J. Glasauer contributed 12 points.
Score Early and Play Some "D"
Northwestern is 5-0 on the year when leading at the half. The Wildcats' are 6-2 when holding opponents to less than 70 points.
Playing the Best to be the Best
According to collegeRPI.com, Northwestern is playing the 28th strongest schedule in the country. The Wildcats' schedule includes six opponents in last season's AP top-25, and seven that are currently in the top-25, or receiving votes. Those seven include No. 5 Ohio State, No. 12 Purdue, No. 22 Mississippi, No. 23 Michigan State and No. 25 Nebraska. DePaul and Utah were among those receiving votes.
Taking Care of the Rock
Northwestern's 12 turnovers against Ohio State on Jan. 14 was the lowest of the season. The 'Cats forced a dozen Buckeye mishaps as well.
On the Upswing
The Wildcats' 67-53 victory over Princeton put the season win total at six, matching the win total for the entire 2005-06 year.
Is That Purple I See?
Yes. Head coach Beth Combs sported an unusual "new-do" for the Jan. 7 game vs. Iowa. Combs accepted a dare to dye her hair purple if there were 3,000 pre-sold tickets to Sunday's game. The goal was reached and Combs' hair was a lovely shade of violet.
Stutz Stepping Up
Junior Sara Stutz has consistently scored in double figures throughout the season, tallying double digits in 16 of NU's 21 games. The Glenview, Ill., native is second on the team in scoring (11.3 ppg) and third in FG percentage (44 percent). Stutz has also dished out 50 assists.
Setting an Example
Northwestern's upperclassmen have led the 'Cats in scoring in 18 of 21 games so far this season. Senior captain A.J. Glasauer has led NU in scoring 11 times, while junior Sara Stutz has been the top scorer six times. Fellow classmate Melissa Miller has topped the scoring column three times while Nadia Bibbs has been the top scorer once.
On the Big Stage
In the most recent NCAA stats (1/21/07), Northwestern ranks 19th in the nation in assists, averaging 17.1 per contest. A.J. Glasauer leads NU with 69 while Nadia Bibbs has dished out 66.
Glasauer Leading the Way
Senior captain A.J. Glasauer has been the Wildcats' leading scorer in 11 out of NU's 21 contests. She is averaging a team-best 12.3 points per game, while dishing out a team-high 69 assists. Glasauer recorded a season-high eight assists in Northwestern's 65-63 loss to Minnesota. She is hitting a team-best 22-of-55 (40 percent) from beyond the arc and is third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.57 (44 turnovers compared to 69 assists).
Coming out of the Blocks
Freshman Kaitlin McInerney has made a statement early in her career, shooting a team-best 54 percent (60-of-111) from the field while also pulling down 5.5 rpg. She recorded the first double-double of her career on Dec. 16 against Nebraska, scoring 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. McInerney is 13th in the conference in blocked shots (1.05). The Oak Brook, Ill., native has been the 'Cats leading rebounder in six games so far this season.
Glasauer Golden From The Line
Senior A.J. Glasauer's 11-of-14 performance from the free-throw line at Utah on Dec. 20 ranked second in the Big Ten for free-throws made and first attempts.
Miller Time
Junior Melissa Miller poured in a career-high 16 points against Utah on Dec. 20. Miller registered 13 points and 13 rebounds against Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 29, marking Northwestern's first double-double of the season. Miller followed that performance with a 10-point, 12-rebound encore against Princeton in the first game of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational. The junior is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.0 rpg while also chipping in 7.4 ppg.
Guest Coaching
At every home Big Ten game this season, the Wildcats will select an honorary coach of the game. Guest coaches can include staff members and members of the faculty. The guest coaches will be announced during starting lineups, participate in the pre-game meal, sit with the team on the bench, attend shoot around and warm-ups and be in the locker room for the pre-game talk.
Summer Travelin'
Two Wildcats were busy honing their skills overseas this summer. A.J. Glasauer was Northwestern's representative on the Big Ten Foreign Tour that played in Denmark, Norway and Sweden. The squad went 4-0 over the 11-day excursion. Junior point guard Nadia Bibbs was named to the Mexican National team that traveled to Cartagena de Indias, Colombia to compete in the Central American Games.
Future Looking Bright
Beth Combs signed arguably the best recruiting class in Northwestern history this season. Highlighting the class is Amy Jaeschke, who was ranked as high as No. 14 by Blue Scout.com. Savannah Stedman, Shantina Boyd and Meisha Reed complete the signing class. Jenny Eckart, a transfer from Syracuse, will also be eligible to play next season. She averaged 9.9 ppg. and started every game at the point for the Orange last season. For more information, please see page five of this release.
Live From Welsh-Ryan Arena
All home games will be broadcast LIVE on NUSports.com via College Sports Online's All-Access. To watch the games, navigate to the audio/video page on NUSports.com, where a link to the broadcasts will appear shortly the game. All-Access is a premium service offering live and tape-delayed broadcasts of many Northwestern sports and includes exclusive interviews, highlights, features and press conference content.
Sticking Around
More than half of this year's roster is comprised of in-state products. Six Wildcats -- Nadia Bibbs (Chicago), Lakhiyia Hicks (Rockford), Erin Dickerson (Chicago), Kristin Cartwright (Lake Forest), Sara Stutz (Glenview) and Kaitlin McInerney (Oak Brook) -- hail from the Land of Lincoln.