Nov. 27, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern settles in for three home games this week, beginning with Wednesday's 6 p.m. matchup against Wake Forest in the inaugural Big Ten/ACC Women's Basketball Challenge. Then on Friday and Saturday, the Wildcats host the 24th annual Roger and Mildred L. White Invitational presented by Doubletree. Semi-final games are scheduled on both days, with Northwestern taking on Central Michigan at 8 p.m. following a 6 p.m. contest between Boston College and Wagner on Friday. Saturday's matchups will be determined by Friday's outcomes, but the consolation game is set for 2 p.m. with the title tilt taking place at 4 p.m.
The Wildcats enter Wednesday's Big Ten/ACC Challenge game after a decisive 63-47 victory over Chicagoland foe Loyola in the home opener. Senior Nadia Bibbs led the way for the Wildcats, recording her first double-double of the season with 17 points (8-of-14) and 11 rebounds. The guard narrowly missed a triple-double, dishing out eight assists. Sophomore forward Kaitlin McInerney joined Bibbs in double-figures with 12. Northwestern shot lights-out in the second half, hitting 68 percent of their attempts (17-of-25) and finished the game with a 50 percent effort from the field. Both were season highs.
Bibbs is now second on the team in scoring averaging 9.8 ppg and tied for the lead in caroms with 7.0. Junior transfer Ellen Jaeschke leads the Wildcats with 11.8 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
Scouting the Demon Deacons
Corinne Groves and Alex Tchangoue lead the Demon Deacons offensively, averaging 13.3 and 11.3 ppg, respectively. Tchangoue leads Wake on the glass, pulling down 8 rpg while Groves is on her heels with 7.3 rpg.
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, Wake Forest participated in the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands where it won the St. John's Division title. The Demon Deacons started their championship run by defeating Indiana 55-53 thanks to a pair of last-minute free throws by Groves. The junior tied her career-high point total with 22 and pulled down 12 rebounds to boost Wake to victory.
Sophomore Tiffany Roulhac and Tchangoue scored in double-figures Friday as the Demon Deacons upset No. 10 Texas A&M in the second game of the Jam. Wake went on to defeat Wichita State 54-47 to claim the division title. Groves and Tchangoue were named to the All-Tournament team. Tchangoue was recognized as the Tournament MVP.
The Series Against Wake Forest
The Wildcats hold a 2-0 advantage in the all-time series against Wake Forest. The last time these two squads met was in 1993 when Northwestern pulled out an 89-73 victory in the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Demon Deacons participated in that same tournament two years ago, but did not meet the Wildcats. The only other time NU met Wake was in 1986 when the Wildcats claimed a 79-54 decision.
Around The League With The Challenge
The Big Ten owns a 1-0 lead in the event as Michigan defeated Miami, 65-50, in the Inaugural Big Ten/ACC Women's Basketball Challenge's first game on Nov. 19. In addition to Wednesday's game, several other games take place this week. Iowa welcomes Georgia Tech at 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday, Nov. 28 while on Thursday, Michigan State hosts Clemson, Illinois heads to NC State, and Purdue travels to North Carolina in what will be a rematch of the 2007 NCAA Dallas Regional Final. Friday features four Challenge games as Indiana welcomes Florida State, Minnesota heads to Virginia Tech, Ohio State hits the road to tangle with nationally ranked Maryland, and Wisconsin travels to Virginia. The inaugural Challenge concludes on Sunday when Penn State hosts Duke.
Seven of this year's Challenge games will reach a national television audience with four games set to be broadcast by the Big Ten Network, two to be aired by ESPN2, and one set to air on ESPNU.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.