Jan. 29, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a hard-fought, intense battle with RV/RV Michigan State Thursday evening, the Wildcats take to the road when they square off against Wisconsin Sunday afternoon at the Kohl Center. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network with Tracy Warren and former Wildcat Trish Babcock on the call.
Northwestern kicks off February with a home contest against Michigan on Thursday, Feb. 4 before enjoying a bye weekend. The following week, NU fires up the bus once again with road affairs at Illinois and at Michigan State.
Opponent profile
Wisconsin Badgers
2009-10 Record: 16-5, 6-4
Series History: 29-28, Northwestern
Last Meeting: March 5, 2009; 60-51, Wisconsin
Last Time Against The Badgers
March 5, 2009--Northwestern outscored Wisconsin in the second half, but came up just short, falling 60-51 to the Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse. Brittany Orban led NU with 18 points--including 13 in the second half--thanks to a 5-of-9 effort from the field and 5-of-6 makes from the free throw line.
Noting Wisconsin
Wisconsin, one of the league's hottest teams recently, has won five out of its last six contests entering Sunday's game against Northwestern.
On Thursday, the Badgers posted an impressive 55-47 victory at Indiana, advancing their conference record to 6-4 and improving their overall mark to 16-5.
Wisconsin has made the Kohl Center a tough place for opponents, posting an 8-2 record in Madison, and only giving up one loss in conference action, a 54-43 defeat at the hands of Penn State on Jan. 21.
UW is led by junior Alyssa Karel, who is averaging 13.9 ppg and leads the team in steal with 36. Junior Tara Steinbauer's team-leading 6.8 rpg is also sixth in the Big Ten.
The Badgers are a defensive-minded squad, holding opponents to a conference-best 52.0 ppg while also limiting foes to just 32.4 rebounds per outing. On the other end, however, Wisconsin is last in scoring offense (59.5) but makes every shot count, ranking third in field goal percentage (42.3 percent). Lin Zastrow, who turned in her first double-double of the season in UW's win at Indiana, is shooting a team-best 45.8 percent from the field.
Reed Shines Against Michigan State
Meshia Reed exploded for a season-high 13-point performance against Michigan State Thursday evening. The junior stepped up her game in the second half, recording 11 points, including 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Reed also pulled down five rebounds, two of the offensive variety, and made hustle plays when needed to keep the 'Cats alive down the stretch.
Diamant Featured By The Big Ten
Freshman Dannielle Diamant was this week's featured player in the Big Ten's Get to Know Her section of the weekly release. Here's what's interesting about the Las Vegas, Nev., native:
"Unlike other Northwestern freshmen student-athletes, Dannielle Diamant did not spend her summer on campus taking courses. Instead, the 6-4 forward represented the United States in the Maccabiah Games in Israel this past July. Her team won five games, defeating Great Britain, Australia, Canada and Israel (twice) en route to the gold medal. Diamant, who has started all but one game for the 'Cats, is the granddaughter of legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian."
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.