Dec. 19, 2011
Northwestern vs. Kansas State
Monday, Dec. 19
Cox Pavilion 9:30 p.m. CT
Northwestern_Game_Notes vs. Kansas State
Park Ridge, Ill.-- Guard Morgan Jones averaged 19.0 points, 6.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in a pair of Northwestern wins last week to pick up her third Big Ten Freshman of the Week honor of the season. Northwestern now has garnered the rookie accolade in four of the first six weeks of the season as Karly Roser also won the award earlier this year.
Jones posted 20 points, six rebounds and six assists in the Wildcats' win over Morgan State on Wednesday and notched 18 points against UNLV Sunday. She added seven assists with three steals in Northwestern's 79-49 victory.
Jones is the only freshman to appear in the Big Ten's top-15 leading scorers, coming in 10th with 15.1 ppg. She also leads the Conference in three-pointers made per game (2.5), is sixth in assists (4.1 apg) and is 11th in defensive rebounds per game (4.6). The freshman is second on the team in scoring, averaging 15.1 ppg, along with 6.0 rpg.
The Wildcats are next in action tonight (Dec. 19) when they face Kansas State at 9:30 p.m. CT in the second game of the BTI Invitational in Las Vegas. An abridged version of the game notes can be found by clicking on the PDF above and complete coverage of the event can be found by visiting the Tournament Website.
Of Note:
After defeating host UNLV 79-49 Sunday evening, the Wildcats turn their attention to their fellow feline brethren, Kansas State. The matchup is a battle of the unbeatens in the BTI Invitational as KSU defeated North Dakota State 70-47 in its first-round game. The Wildcats enter the game against NU with a 7-2 overall record, having won their last four contests. Fans can follow the action via Gametracker at www.unlvrebels.com or via Twitter @NU_SportsLIVE.
Following the tournament, Northwestern returns home for the holiday but jumps right back into action on Dec. 27 when it hosts Toledo at 6 p.m. at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats open the Big Ten season following that game as they travel to Iowa for a 6 p.m. (note: time change from 7 p.m. to 6 p.m.) contest on Dec. 30.
Last Time Out...
Junior Kendall Hackney turned in a 22-point effort, her fourth-straight 20-point game, to lead Northwestern to a 79-49 victory over UNLV Sunday evening as part of the BTI Invitational in Las Vegas. Morgan Jones, Dannielle Diamant and Alex Cohen joined Hackney in double figures as the Wildcats improve to 9-1 on the year.
Winning Ways
This year's senior class of Allison Mocchi and Brittany Orban are the winningest contingent of Wildcats since 1996-97. The two have been an integral part of the Wildcats' renaissance, posting 53 victories since the 2008-09 season. Over the past three seasons (including the current year), head coach Joe McKeown has guided the Wildcats to a combined 46 victories.
Wildcats Out To Best Start Under McKeown
With its 79-49 victory over UNLV last night (Dec. 18), Northwestern improved to 9-1 on the year; its best record through 10 games in Joe McKeown's tenure. In the two previous seasons, the Wildcats were 8-2 through the opening 10 games. The last time NU went 9-1 to open the season was in 1995.
`Tis The Season For Charitable Acts
Northwestern turned in a season-best 20-of-21 (95 percent) effort from the charity stripe against UNLV (12/18/11). For their effort, the 'Cats moved into 5th in the Big Ten (up from 11th two weeks ago), connecting on 72.7 percent of their attempts.
Hello, Kendall Hackney
Junior Kendall Hackney has scored 20 or more points in NU's last four games, including a career-high 29 points in the Wildcats' win over Morgan State last week. Hackney leads the team with 17.2 ppg and ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring (as of 12/19).
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!