Jan. 9, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. --Northwestern looks to veer back on the winning track when it welcomes Purdue to Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday for a 2 p.m. showdown. The Wildcats dropped a 64-52 decision on the road to Michigan State last time out. NU gets a bye day on Thursday before traveling to Iowa City for a 2 p.m. contest on Jan. 18.
Against Michigan State
Michigan State defeated Northwestern, 64-52, Thursday evening at the Breslin Center. Junior Kristin Cartwright led Northwestern with nine points, while Erin Dickerson and Ellen Jaeschke contributed eight and seven points, respectively. Dickerson grabbed a team-high five rebounds to lead NU.
Versus Wisconsin
The new year marked a fresh start for the 'Cats, and one they took advantage of, commencing 2009 with a `W". Northwestern used a balanced offensive attack to down Wisconsin, which entered the contest with a 12-2 mark. Jaeschke notched a team-high 12 points while freshman Maggie Mocchi contributed 10. The Wildcats used several different defensive looks to confuse the Badgers' offense, specifically their guards.
Scouting the Boilermakers
This already has been a busy week for the Boilers, having convincingly defeated No. 4/9 Texas, 66-55, in front of a national audience on ESPN Monday night at Mackey Arena while also taking care of Iowa in a 60-49 contest Thursday in West Lafayette. Purdue boasts 10-5 overall mark and a 3-1 conference record, its only loss coming in overtime at the hands of NU's latest opponent, Michigan State. The Boilermakers, picked to finish in the top two in the preseason Big Ten poll, are receiving votes in this week's ESPN/USA Today poll and are likely to crack the top-25 after the victory against the Longhorns. Fifth-year senior Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton leads an experienced starting five that also includes Ki-Ki Freeman and Danielle Campbell. Wisdom-Hylton and Freeman lead the Boilers offensively with 12.9 and 10.8 ppg, respectively, while freshman point guard Brittany Rayburn is third on the squad with 10.7 ppg. Wisdom-Hylton, a Naperville native, is pulling down a team-best 9.1 rpg. As a team, Purdue is outscoring its opponents by 8.4 points per game and averaging 9.1 steals per outing. The Boilermakers are under the tutelage of third-year head coach and former Purdue standout Sharon Versyp.
The Series Against Purdue
The Boilermakers hold a 38-18 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads.
A Quick Look in the Rearview Mirror
With the victory over Wisconsin on Jan. 4, the Wildcats notched their fifth win of the year, tying last year's season win total. Individually, Amy Jaeschke is on the brink of surpassing several of her stat line numbers from all of last season just midwway through 2008-09. If she stays on pace, she will eclipse her career highs in assists, points, blocks, steals and rebounds in the next few games. Sophomore Meshia Reed shot .336 from the field last season and is shooting at a .495 clip this year. Senior Erin Dickerson has already surpassed her point total from last season, her total steals and her three-point shooting percentage.
Jaeschke Named to Naismith Watch List
Sophomore center Amy Jaeschke was one of 50 women's basketball student-athletes named to the 2009 Naismith Trophy early season watch list, the Atlanta Tipoff Club announced. She joins fellow conference standouts Jantel Lavender (Ohio State), Allyssa DeHaan (Michigan State) and Jenna Smith (Illinois). Jaeschke and Lavender are the only two sophomores to make the elite list. Jaeschke has been among the Big Ten's leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocks and field goal percentage all season, and has led the Wildcats in scoring, rebounding and blocks all year. The 6-5 center was named honorable mention All-Big Ten last season and was tabbed as a member of the conference's All-Freshman squad.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.