Nov. 30, 2008
NU Game Notes vs. UC Riverside (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -
After playing its last two games on the road, Northwestern opens a four-game homestand and a stretch of three games in six days Monday as it faces UC Riverside at 8 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Big Ten Network televising the game live with Craig Shemon and former Wildcat Tim Doyle on the call.
The contest can also be heard live on 720 AM WGN and wgnradio.com with Dave Eanet and Bob Hildebrand describing the action. Gametracker is available at NUsports.com.
The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from their first loss of the season, falling 57-53 at Butler last Wednesday. NU led by as many as 12 points and shot 68.2 percent from the field in the first half but was unable to hold on. Michael Thompson paced Northwestern with 12 points, while Craig Moore and Ivan Peljusic added 11 apiece.
The 'Cats lead the Big Ten with a .505 field goal percentage, a .449 3-point field goal percentage and a 1.60 assist-to-turnover ratio.
UC Riverside has won four straight contests, including a 54-44 win Saturday at Colgate, since dropping its season-opener at New Mexico State. The Highlanders were picked to finish ninth in the Big West preseason polls by both the coaches and the media.
Only five players return from last year's team which went 9-21 overall. The team welcomes 11 newcomers this season. Junior guard Javon Borum leads the Highlanders with an average of 11.6 points per game and was named the Big West Player of the Week No. 24.
This will be the first meeting between the Wildcats and UC Riverside.