Nov. 23, 2011
Northwestern (4-0) vs. Stony Brook (2-2)
Friday, Nov. 25, 2011
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Evanston, Ill. Noon
Streaming Video: Big Ten Digital Network via Wildcats All-Access
Audio: WGN 720 AM and wgnradio.com (Dave Eanet and Shon Morris)
Gametracker: NUsports.com
In-game Twitter updates: @NU_SportsLIVE
Northwestern Game Notes (PDF)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Fresh off a tournament win at the DirecTV Charleston Classic last weekend, Northwestern returns home to Welsh-Ryan Arena on Friday to square off against Stony Brook. Tip time is set for noon.
It's Take a Kid to a Game Day with each paid adult allowing two kids in the 8th grade and under to get in free. Tickets must be purchased on the day of the game (season ticket holders are an exception). There will also be a halftime performance by Zooperstars.
Northwestern's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) is also hosting its annual canned food drive. All individuals attending are encouraged to bring a non-perishable food item for donation to benefit Family Focus.
The Wildcats defeated LSU (88-82) and Tulsa (69-65) before taking down Seton Hall (80-73) in Sunday's championship game in Charleston. Junior forward Drew Crawford was named the tournament MVP and Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 24.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest. He posted all 17 of his points against LSU during a second-half comeback before tallying 28 against Tulsa and 27 vs. Seton Hall.
It marked NU's second tournament win in three years as the Wildcats also won the Chicago Invitational Challenge in 2009.
Series History: First meeting
SCOUTING STONY BROOK
The Seawolves are coming off a 67-53 home win over Columbia on Tuesday. Dave Coley led Stony Brook with 12 points, while Bryan Dougher added 11 as the Seawolves held a 45-28 rebounding advantage.
Dougher paces a balanced scoring effort with an average of 9.8 points per game. Stony Brook was picked to finish second in the America East by the league's head coaches and first by various publications.
Steve Pikiell is in his seventh season as the head coach at Stony Brook.
CRAWFORD HONORED AS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior forward Drew Crawford was recognized for his play at the DirecTV Charleston Classic Nov. 17-20 by being named both the tournament MVP as well as the Big Ten Player of the Week Nov. 21. Crawford averaged 24 points and six rebounds per game in the Wildcats' wins over LSU, Tulsa and Seton Hall. He scored 17, 28 and 27 points, respectively, in the contests and tallied at least 17 points in a half three times. Crawford was also named Big Ten Player of the Week once as a freshman.
SHURNA'S SCORING SPREE
John Shurna's 37 points in the win over LSU Nov. 17 marked a career high for the senior forward. The total marks a tie for the most by a NU player in Bill Carmody's 12 years as head coach, matching Kevin Coble's effort against 15th-ranked Indiana Feb. 23, 2008. It ranks as a tie for the eighth-best scoring performance in school history. Shurna's previous career high was 31 points, achieved three times, including most recently at Northern Illinois Nov. 12, 2010.
DYNAMIC DUO
We're not sure which one is Batman and which one is Robin, but senior John Shurna and junior Drew Crawford have already shown that they form a pretty formidable 1-2 punch. It's still early in the season, but Shurna (21.5 ppg) and Crawford (20.8 ppg) are currently the only teammates in the nation who are both averaging over 20 points per game.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
The Wildcats have some big shoes to fill in the backcourt with the graduation of Michael Thompson. A four-year starter, Thompson completed his career at NU's all-time leader in games played, games started, minutes played and assists, while ranking third all-time in scoring. Freshman Dave Sobolewski has stepped in valiantly in his stead. Through three games, all starts, Sobolewski is averaging 7.5 points and 3.5 assists per game. He has a 4.7-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, handing out 14 assists with just three miscues in 133 minutes of action. In a one-point game with LSU Nov. 17, Sobolewski hit a clutch 3-pointer with 28 seconds remaining to seal the win. The following day with NU leading Tulsa by three in the final minute, he came up with a key steal to help ice another victory for the Wildcats.
NOT HALF BAD
The 56 points that Northwestern scored in the second half of its win over LSU Nov. 17 marked the team's highest point total in a half during Bill Carmody's 12 seasons as head coach. The previous high for points in a half was 55 in the first half against Georgia Tech Nov. 30, 2010 and SIU Edwardsville Jan. 20, 2011. The previous best for points in a second half was 54 at Northern Illinois Nov. 12, 2010.
HEARN STEPS IN
With key returners JerShon Cobb, Alex Marcotullio and Drew Crawford battling early-season injuries, junior guard/forward Reggie Hearn got the starting nod in NU's season-opener and the three games since. Making his first collegiate start, the former walk-on posted a stellar all-around performance vs. UTPA Nov. 11. In 28 minutes of playing time, Hearn posted seven points and career highs of five rebounds, four assists and three steals as well as a blocked shot.
COMEBACK 'CATS
The Wildcats defeated LSU Nov. 17 despite trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half. It is the largest deficit NU has overcome to win a game since rallying back from 17 down in a 68-62 victory at Michigan Jan. 10, 2010.
SHURNA EARNS PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Senior forward John Shurna has been named a second-team preseason All-American by Sporting News and a third-team choice of Athlon Sports. He has also been named to the watch list for both the Wooden Award and Naismith Award for the second consecutive season. Shurna averaged a team-best 16.6 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds per contest in 2010-11 as he was named a third-team All-Big Ten selection. He was also a second-team all-conference pick as a sophomore. The last NU player to earn three career All-Big Ten laurels was Evan Eschmeyer who was a first-team honoree in 1997, 1998 and 1999.
UNPRECEDENTED SUCCESS
Northwestern is coming off its third straight postseason appearance--a program best--advancing to the NIT quarterfinal round before falling 69-66 at Washington State in overtime. The Wildcats have posted a school-record 20 wins in each of the last two seasons. This year's senior class has 61 career wins, just four shy of the school record of 65 set by last year's class.
SHOOTING FOR THE TOP
Northwestern's scoring record of 1,900 career points has stood since 1977 when Billy McKinney completed his collegiate eligibility. John Shurna is currently in ninth place on NU's career scoring list with 1,463 career points, 437 shy of McKinney's top spot. Shurna scored a school single-season record 619 points as a sophomore and 531 points last season as a junior.
HELPING HAND
Northwestern is well known for playing "team" offense and that's reflected in the statistics. The Wildcats have a 1.87 assist-to-turnover ratio this season after ranking second in the nation to only Wisconsin with a 1.70 mark a year ago. NU boasts a +7.8 turnover margin, forcing 15.5 turnovers per game, while committing just 7.8 per contest. NU enjoys a commanding 82-24 edge in points off turnovers throughfour games. The 'Cats finished third nationally with an average of only 9.9 turnovers per game during the 2010-11 season.
STARTING FAST
In each of the last two seasons, Northwestern started its campaign with at least nine wins in its first 11 games. In 2009-10, NU opened 10-1 en route to earning a No. 25 national ranking. Prior to that season, the Wildcats last posted nine wins in their first 11 contests in the 1993-94 campaign. Each of the last two years, the Wildcats have notched a school-record five wins in the month of November. The 2010-11 'Cats finished the program's first undefeated November when playing at least three games. NU has won 14 of its last 15 games in the month of November.
UP NEXT...
Northwestern returns action next Tuesday as it travels to Georgia Tech for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. Tip time is set for 6:15 p.m. Central time with ESPNU providing live television coverage.
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