Jan. 23, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern travels north to Minneapolis for a showdown against the Gophers at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 25. The contest is the first of two regular-season tilts between the two squads as Minnesota visits Welsh-Ryan nearly a month later on Feb. 23. The Wildcats are coming off a 74-54 home loss to Michigan State Thursday in which sophomore Amy Jaeschke notched a game-high 22 points. It was her 15th double-digit game of the season and the 11th time she has topped the Wildcat scoring column. She also contributed an NU-high seven rebounds.
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Thursday, Feb. 5
McQ&A: Meet head coach, Joe McKeown and stay to watch the `Cats take on the Michigan Wolverines on Thursday, February 5. The event is sponsored by the Catbackers--Northwestern athletics women's booster organization--and will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the N Club room in Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip is set for 7 p.m.
The cost of the reception is $25 for light refreshments and a game ticket. All fans are welcome. For more information, contact Tammy Walker, 847-467-4799 or t-walker@northwestern.edu.
National Girls and Women in Sports Day: In celebration of NGWSD, families will receive two free youth admission with each paid adult admission. Also, all fans will have the chance to meet and interact with members of Northwestern's basketball team in a postgame autograph session.
Scouting the Gophers
Minnesota brings a 13-6 overall mark and 5-3 conference record into Sunday's game, having most recently dropped a 56-43 decision at Purdue Thursday evening. Prior to that game, the Gophers had a successful week, knocking off conference-leader Ohio State 59-56 at Value City Arena before following up with a 52-46 win against Michigan at home. Offensively, three Gophers are scoring in double figures, including seniors Emily Fox (12.6 ppg), Ashley Ellis-Milan (11.5 ppg) and junior Katie Ohm (11.3 ppg). Ohm is a threat from beyond the arc, ranking ninth in the country in three-point field goal percentage, connecting on.454 percent of her looks. Ellis-Milan leads the way on the glass, pulling down 8.3 rpg
The Series against Minnesota
Northwestern holds a 29-25 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads.
McKeown Reaches 700
Joe McKeown coached his 700th career game against Purdue on Sunday, Jan. 11 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. McKeown, now in his 23rd year as a head coach, owns 514 career victories in those 700 chances, which translates to a 73.4 winning percentage. At the beginning of the 2008-09 season, the veteran mentor was 13th on the active coaches list. For more on McKeown, please see the chart on page 3.
Am I Seeing Double?
When these two teams hit the hardwood, don't make an appointment to see the optometrist--at least immediately. Both Minnesota and Northwestern feature a set of twins--Maggie and Allison Mocchi of the Wildcats and Brianna and Nicole Mastey. Both pairs are freshmen.
Freshmen Phenoms
Among fellow classmates, freshmen Brittany Orban and Maggie Mocchi have held their own, especially in conference-only games. Mocchi is third in rebounding, steals and blocked shots in conference games. Orban, meanwhile, has started every conference game and is averaging 20.0 mpg and 4.5 ppg.
Spreading The Love
When freshman Brittany Orban topped the Northwestern scoring column last Sunday against Iowa, she became the seventh different Wildcat to lead the team in scoring. Amy Jaeschke, Ellen Jaeschke, Kristin Cartwright, Meshia Reed, Maggie Mocchi and Jenny Eckhart have also led the squad offensively in at least one game. Amy Jaeschke has been the top scorer in 11 games, including the last time out against Michigan State when she tallied 22 points.
Home Sweet Home
Northwestern has scored 160 more points (608 vs. 448) in Evanston than on the road. Two Wildcats are averaging in double figures at home, including Amy Jaeschke, (17.3) and Kristin Cartwright (11.0) while Meshia Reed has contributed 9.2. Jaeschke is also pulling down a team-high 8.2 boards per game in Welsh-Ryan.
For complete notes, please click on the PDF above.