Feb. 13, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern makes its second road trip of the week when it travels to Columbus Sunday for a 10 a.m. CT contest against the No. 18/13 Buckeyes. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network with Tracy Warren and Patricia Babcock-McGraw on the call. Following Sunday's meeting, the 'Cats resume hosting duties, welcoming Indiana to Evanston Thursday for a 7 p.m. showdown.
Last Time Out ... Northwestern hung close, but Illinois held strong on its home court, outlasting the `Cats, 60-46, Thursday evening at Assembly Hall. Junior Kristin Cartwright and sophomore Amy Jaeschke led NU with 12 points each, and Jaeschke notched her eighth double-double of the season, adding a career-and-game high 16 boards and six blocks. The Wildcats, coming off a bye weekend, had previously defeated Michigan, 60-57, on Feb. 5, a victory that bested both their conference and overall win total from last season.
Scouting Ohio State
The No. 18/13 Buckeyes enter Sunday's game on their longest losing streak of the season, albeit a two-game skid, having dropped road games at Michigan State, 52-46, and most recently against Iowa on Thursday, 85-75. Ohio State is the only ranked Big Ten program, having maintained a Top-25 slot all season. OSU is led by sophomore sensation Jantel Lavender, reigning Big Ten Player and Freshman of the Year (coaches), who leads the league in scoring with 21.4 ppg and in rebounding with 10.8 rpg. She leads the team in shooting percentage as well, connecting on 53.5 percent of her looks from the field while shooting a respectable 76.9 percent from the charity stripe. Freshman Samantha Prahalis and senior Star Allen are second and third on the team in scoring, respectively, with 9.6 and 9.4 ppg. Ashlee Trebilcock is the team's sharpshooter, hitting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc.
The Series against Buckeyes
Ohio State holds a 34-15 advantage in the all-time series between these two squads. The Buckeyes claimed a 68-59 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena back on Dec. 31. Amy Jaeschke, Kristin Cartwright and Meshia Reed all scored in double-figures with 24, 11 and 10 points, respectively. Jaeschke was named Big Ten Player of the Week that week, largely due to her performance in this game, shooting 9-of-18 from the field, 6-of-7 from the free-throw line and playing all 40 minutes. She also limited to Jantel Lavender to just her second non-double-double performance at the time.
Jaeschke Etches Her Name In NU Record Books
Sophomore Amy Jaeschke has already clawed her way into the Wildcat record books. Jaeschke now tops the single-season blocks list as she currently has 80 on the season. She also appears in the double-doubles list, notching a team-leading seven so far this season.
Recapping The Past Two-Plus Weeks
Though the Wildcats stumbled over a particularly large streak of bad luck over the last couple contests (Purdue and last time out against Illinois excluded), Northwestern held on and for a "W" last Thursday against Michigan. Against Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 25, Northwestern battled back to earn a final possession down three with 14 seconds left, but couldn't convert, falling by three in Minneapolis. Then versus Illinois on Jan. 29, the ball didn't bounce NU's way and two possessions passed without the necessary point to tie the game. After a less-than-stellar performance on the road against Purdue, Northwestern was finally rewarded with a 60-57 victory against Michigan on Feb. 5
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.