The Wildcats had much to celebrate Thursday night, advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.The Wildcats had much to celebrate Thursday night, advancing to the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.

Wildcats Tangle With Michigan State In Big Ten Tourney Quarterfinals

March 4, 2011

No. 8 Northwestern (18-12, 6-10) vs. No. 1 Michigan State (25-4, 13-3)
Friday, March 4 • Conseco Fieldhouse (18,165)
Indianapolis, Ind. • 5 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network (Eric Collins, pbp; Mary Murphy, color)
Audio: 89.3 FM., WNUR (Seth Bernstein and Danny Moran)
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE

Mini Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
Big Ten's Tournament Central Page
Updated Bracket
Amy's Insights

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- After disposing of ninth-seeded Minnesota 53-44 Thursday evening, Northwestern advances to the quarterfinals of the 2011 Big Ten Tournament and faces top-seeded Michigan State at 5 p.m. CT Friday at Conseco Fieldhouse. The game will be carried live on the Big Ten Network with Eric Collins and Mary Murphy on the call.

Northwestern's victory over Minnesota last night pushed its win total to 18, which matches last season's count. Last year, the Wildcats finished 18-15 and advanced to the WNIT Round of 16. It was the first time in 13 years (since 1996-97) the program made a postseason appearance. Additionally, the win was NU's first Big Ten Tournament triumph since the 2000 season when tenth-seeded NU defeated seventh-seeded Iowa, 68-59.

NOTING NORTHWESTERN
• The last time Northwestern faced the top-seeded team in Big Ten Tournament play was in 1999 when the Wildcats squared off against Purdue in the quarterfinals.

• Michigan State won the only meeting between the two teams this season, claiming a 74-60 win at the Breslin Center on Feb. 17. Recap: Northwestern gave No. 10/11 Michigan State all it could handle in East Lansing but came up on the short end of a 74-60 battle. The Wildcats, led by 25 points from Amy Jaeschke, hung with MSU until the very end when the Spartans exploded on a 14-4 run in the final 3:28 for the win.

• Michigan State leads the all-time series, 35-22. The last time Northwestern defeated MSU was in 2003. This is the first time in Big Ten Tournament history these two teams have met.

• Kendall Hackney's 22-point effort against Minnesota was her fourth 20-point game of the year. She also had 20 points against the Gophers last time the two teams met (Feb. 20). Hackney scored 23 points against DePaul and 24 at Georgia Tech. The All-Big Ten honorable mention honoree has led NU in scoring three times.

• Amy Jaeschke's 16-point, 10-rebound performance against the Gophers marked her 14th double-double of the season. She has now scored in double-figures in 45 straight games and has been NU's leading rebounder 20 times.

• Beth Marshall's two triples against Minnesota gave her 54 on the season. Northwestern is 13-4 when Marshall hits two or more three pointers.

• Junior Allison Mocchi matched a career-high with nine rebounds against Minnesota. Her 28 minutes on the hardwood is the second-highest number of minutes she has played this season.

Mini game notes can be found in the PDF above.

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