| Northwestern (4-0) at No. 18 DePaul (4-1) |
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| Date | Saturday, Nov. 29 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | McGrath-Phillips Arena | Chicago, Ill. |
| Watch Live | DePaul BlueTube |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  | Facebook  | @NUWILDCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | DePaul |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will make the short trip from its Evanston campus to Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood Saturday evening to take on No. 18/18 DePaul in another crosstown clash at McGrath-Phillips Arena.
NORTHWESTERN CLOSES HOMESTAND WITH BIG WIN OVER UIC
The Wildcats hosted crosstown rival UIC for a pre-Thanksgiving matinee on Nov. 26 and the home team feasted on the Flames with a convincing 61-40 victory at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Defense was the name of the game once again as NU's effort helped hold UIC to only 40 points on 31.5 percent shooting from the floor. The 'Cats registered a season-high 12 blocks and stole the ball 17 teams, marking the fourth time in four chances they recorded double-digit thefts.
Sophomore Preseason All-Big Ten honoree Nia Coffey scored 14 points while leading her team in rebounding for the third consecutive game with eight. The Minneapolis, Minn., native also matched a career high with five blocks, a feat that she also accomplished against UIC during her inaugural college basketball game.
Reserve Lauren Douglas provided a spark off the bench for head coach Joe McKeown, as well. The forward notched eight points, six rebounds and four blocks in 25 minutes of action. One of her four rejections came as time expired in the first half and it ensured that UIC was held without a single point in the closing 5:28 of the opening stanza.
All five of Northwestern's starters picked up at least two steals. The NCAA's leader, Ashley Deary, tallied five.
DEFENSIVE DANDIES
Statistically speaking, the Wildcats have been arguably the top defensive team in the Big Ten early this season. Northwestern leads the 14-team conference in both scoring defense (44.5 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.300), while nationally ranking second and ninth, respectively, in those categories. NU also leads the Big Ten in steals (15.0 spg), ranks second in three-point field goal percentage defense (.226) and turnover margin (+7.8) and third in blocked shots (6.5 bpg).
DEARY EQUALS PROGRAM RECORD
Prior to the start of the season, only one player in Northwestern history had recorded double-digit steals in a single game. Moira Kennelly did it when she stole the basketball 11 times against UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 1, 1993 and sophomore point guard Ashley Deary matched Kennelly on opening night at Chicago State. The Flower Mound, Texas, native picked up seven steals in only 10 minutes of action in the second half alone, a number alone that would have surpassed her previous career high of six (vs. Oral Roberts - 12/16/13). Deary currently leads the NCAA with 5.8 steals per game.
HOME BODIES
Northwestern plays eight of its first nine games this season at, or close to, home. After opening on the road at Chicago State on Nov. 21, the Wildcats wrapped up a three-game homestand at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Wednesday. On Saturday, the 'Cats will make the short trip to Lincoln Park to take on a nationally-ranked DePaul team before leaving the Land of Lincoln for the first time to take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. as part of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 4. NU will be back home on Dec. 7 and Dec. 15 before closing out the calendar year with trips to UNLV, Arizona State and Michigan State, where it will open conference play on Dec. 28.
'CATS HOST SIXTH ANNUAL AUTISM AWARENESS GAME DEC. 7 VS. LOYOLA
A tradition that began with head coach Joe McKeown, Northwestern will host the sixth annual Autism Awareness Game on Sunday, Dec. 7 when Loyola visits Welsh-Ryan Arena. A cause that is near and dear to the Wildcat women's basketball program, Northwestern will once again welcome the Chicagoland chapter of Autism Speaks and continue to create awareness for the cause. There will be a quiet room available in the arena and other special in-game activities.
EVANSTON'S GLOBETROTTERS
Three members of Northwestern's current roster boast significant experience with their respective national teams. Karly Roser played with the Canadian Senior Women's National Team at the Edmonton Grads International Classic exhibition series and with the Canadian Senior Women's National B-Team at the 36th William Jones International Basketball Tournament in Taiwan. In July Nof Kedem played for Israel at the U-20 Women's Division B European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Finally, Nia Coffey won a gold medal with USA Basketball in Summer of 2013 at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Lithuania.
BLUE DEMON BUSTERS
Northwestern hosted 25th-ranked DePaul on Dec. 1, 2013 and the home team came away with an 82-79 triumph. Lauren Douglas scored a career-high 26 points, while Nia Coffey registered her fourth collegiate double-double behind 20 points and 10 rebounds. It was the first of three victories over top-25 teams last year as the 'Cats also downed No. 21/20 Purdue and No. 21/18 Nebraska in 2013-14.
SCOUTING No. 18/18 DEPAUL
Overall Record: 4-1
All-Time Series Record: DePaul leads, 16-14
Notable: The Blue Demons enter the weekend with one of the most high-powered offenses in the NCAA. DePaul currently ranks 11th in the country in scoring with 88.6 points per game and three players are averaging at least 14.0 ppg. Guard Brittany Hrynko leads the way with 16.2 ppg. DePaul has also taken good care of the basketball in the early going. Head coach Doug Bruno's squad has a turnover margin of +15.2, a number that ranks third in the NCAA behind Tennessee (17.0) and San Jose State (16.0).
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