Jan. 27, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After two consecutive road battles, the Wildcats return to the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena for a showdown with RV/RV Michigan State Thursday evening. Action is set to get underway at 7 p.m. and will be streamed live at NUsports.com Northwestern (12-8, 3-6) is in search of its 13th victory of the season, which would be the most wins the Wildcats have recorded in one season since the the 1996-97 campaign.
Fans wishing to stay up to date on the action in Thursday's game can do so by following the username @NU_sportsLIVE on Twitter. The game will be broadcast live on WNUR 89.3FM and streamed live at NUsports.com.
Following Thursday's game, Northwestern travels to Madison to battle the Badgers on Sunday, Jan. 31. Action begins at 4 p.m. and will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.
Opponent profile
Michigan State Spartans
2009-10 Record: 13-7, 4-5
Series History: 32-22, MSU
Last Meeting: January 22, 2009, 74-54, MSU
Last Time Against The Spartans
Jan. 22, 2009--Amy Jaeschke poured in a game-high 22 points, including 16 in the first half, but it was not enough to lead Northwestern to victory as Michigan State bested the Wildcats, 74-54, at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Jaeschke also added a Wildcat-high seven rebounds and notched a game-high five rejections.
Noting Michigan State
The Spartans won both of their conference games this past week, defeating Purdue at home 72-54 and Minnesota 66-57 on the road. This will be the first match up between these two teams this year, with the second on Feb. 14 in East Lansing.
Senior Alyssa DeHaan leads Michigan State offensively, recording 11.8 ppg while also shooting an impressive 84 percent from the free-throw line. Sophomore Lykendra Johnson boasts a team-high 47 percent field goal percentage and averages 8.7 rebounds per outing, also a team best.
The Spartans have enjoyed a presence in the top-25 rankings throughout the season, and are currently receiving votes. Offensively, they come in first in rebounds (43.9 rpg) and second in scoring (69.3 ppg) in the Big Ten.
Jaeschke Tabbed Big Ten Player of the Week
Amy Jaeschke took home her second Big Ten Player of the Week honor of the season after having one of the biggest weeks of her career. The junior recorded her 1,000th career point against Indiana on Thursday before becoming Northwestern's all-time leading blocker on Sunday at Iowa. It is the third weekly league accolade of Jaeschke's career and the third conference honor of the season for the Wildcats.
Jaeschke scored 17 points against the Hoosiers, becoming the ninth-active Big Ten player to eclipse the 1,000 career points plateau. She also pulled down nine boards, blocked four shots, dished out three assists and recorded one steal.
On Sunday, Jaeschke posted a season-high 30 points while shooting 73.3 percent from the floor, and recorded eight rebounds, three assists and six blocks. With her second swat of the contest, she became Northwestern's all-time blocked shots leader. She currently owns 221 career rejections. For the week, the Wilmette, Ill., native averaged 23.5 points on 63.3 percent shooting, 8.5 rebounds, 5.0 blocks and 3.0 assists.
Reed Capitalizing On Playing Time
Meshia Reed isn't Northwestern's leading scorer nor does she average 36 minutes per game. But, the junior has made the most of the minutes she has been given. In Big Ten games, Reed is second on the team in field goal percentage (46.8 pct) and three-point field goal percentage (46 pct). She is averaging just 15.9 mpg in conference action but has played in every league affair.
Jaeschke Reaches Two Milestones
Junior Amy Jaeschke recorded the 1,000th point of her career in the second half at Indiana last Thursday evening. Jaeschke now has 1,035 career points and is 298 points away from cracking NU's all-time scoring list. With her second block aginst Iowa Sunday, Jaeschke became NU's all-time swat leader. She currently has 221 rejections.This season has been one of milestones for the Wilmette, Ill., native as she also pulled down her 500th career rebound in the first half against Ohio State on Dec. 31, 2009 and swatted her 200th career block against Penn State on Jan. 3.
Accuracy, Accuracy, Accuracy
Send the 'Cats to the free-throw line and it's a pretty good bet you will see a `make'. Northwestern is first in the Big Ten in free throw percentage in conference games, nailing 78.7 percent of its looks. Individually, Dannielle Diamant leads NU with a 92.9 percent conversion rate, while Amy Jaeschke is shooting 83.3 percent from the line in conference games only.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.