| No. 25 Northwestern (22-6, 12-5 B1G) vs. No. 5 Maryland (26-2, 17-0 B1G) |
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| Date | Sunday, March 1 | Noon |
| Location | Welsh-Ryan Arena | Evanston, Ill. |
| Watch Live | Big Ten Network and BTN2Go(Lisa Byington and Stephanie White) |
| Listen Live | WNUR - 89.3 FM |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Preview Interviews | | |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  | Northwestern Women's Basketball  | @NUCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | Maryland |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In search of a ninth consecutive victory, No. 25 Northwestern welcomes No. 5 Maryland to Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday for a matchup between the Big Ten's two hottest teams to close the 2014-15 regular season. NU's active eight-game winning streak is second in the conference behind Maryland, which has won its last 20.
SAYONARA, SENIORS
Sunday's game marks the final time that seniors Alex Cohen and Karly Roser will take the floor at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The duo has combined to be part of 66 Northwestern victories since 2011, including 22 this year, the program's most since the 1995-96 season. The pair has also left a mark in the program's record book. Cohen, from Bayside, Wis., ranks fourth all-time at NU with 165 blocks, while Roser, who hails from Hamilton, Ontario, ranks seventh with 441 assists. Roser is a two-year captain and Cohen was selected to the Allstate WBCA Good Works Team last month, becoming one of only five Division I players to receive the honor. Cohen and Roser will be honored in a brief pregame ceremony prior to the finale.
20 & 10
With 22 wins to its credit, Northwestern has secured at least 20 victories for the first time in seven years under head coach Joe McKeown. In fact, this is the first season since 1995-96 that the 'Cats have won at least 20 games. Chicago's Big Ten Team has also been successful in conference play this year by earning 12 wins with one game to play. No Northwestern team has won 12 games in the league since the 1992-93 squad registered 13 triumphs in 18 games. The school record for the most wins in a season is 25, which has happened in 1978-79, the program's fourth season. The most Big Ten wins ever, 15, also came in 1989-90. That team won the program's first Big Ten Championship.
HISTORICAL POLL PRESENCE
On Monday, Northwestern broke into the Associated Press top-25 poll for the first time since Jan. 29, 1996, at No. 25. Earlier this season, the Wildcats entered the USA Today top-25 coaches poll for the first time ever on Dec. 30, 2014, checking in at No. 25. The highest AP ranking in program history came on Dec. 10, 1990 (No. 6), and the 'Cats have appeared in the final poll twice. Northwestern was ranked No. 13 to conclude the 1989-90 campaign and No. 22 at the end of the 1990-91 season. Additionally, the 'Cats remain among others receiving votes in the coaches poll this week.
FANTASTIC FEBRUARY
Northwestern capped the month of February on Thursday with a 20-point win over No. 20/18 Rutgers to finish the period with a perfect 8-0 record. It was the first time that any NU squad went unbeaten in a single month, with at least eight victories, since head coach Mary DiStanislao's group went 11-0 in February 1980. Last season, the Wildcats went winless in seven games during the second month of the calendar year.
SENSATIONAL STREAKS
Before falling at Arizona State on Dec. 21, Northwestern won 10 consecutive games to start the season, marking the program's longest winning streak since Nov. 24-Dec. 18, 1995 (9). To find the last time that the Wildcats won 10 consecutive games prior to 2014-15, you have to go back to the 1989-90 campaign when the squad went unbeaten in 10 contests between Dec. 9 - Jan. 21. That team, under head coach Don Perrelli, won a school-record 24 games overall and the program's first Big Ten Championship. The Wildcats are currently unbeaten since February 1 and this is the first time since the 1979-80 season that they have orchestrated multiple winning streaks of eight games or more. The record for the most consecutive wins in program history is 17 (Jan. 23 - March 8, 1980).
MCKEOWN JOINS RARE COMPANY
By helping the Wildcats secure a spot in the Associated Press top-25 poll this week, Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown joined an exclusive group. According to women's basketball guru Mel Greenberg, the Philadelphia native, who also coached at New Mexico State and George Washington, became only the 10th coach ever to guide at least three teams into the AP poll when NU received the nod this week. Other notable members of the club include the 'Cats' last opponent, C. Vivian Stringer (Cheyney, Iowa, Rutgers), and former Wildcats' head coach Don Perrelli (Northwestern, Southern Connecticut and St. John's).
RISE OF ROSER
Senior guard Karly Roser has made the most of her opportunity in the starting lineup over the past six games. She is averaging 6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game since Feb. 8, while leading the Wildcats with 14 offensive rebounds (2.3 per game) during that span. She has also made three 3-point field goals since Feb. 8 to bring her career total to five.
COHEN SELECTED TO ALLSTATE WBCA GOOD WORKS TEAM(R)
Senior Alex Cohen was announced as a member of the 2015 Allstate Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Good Works Team ® on Tuesday, Feb. 10. She has been extremely active with many organizations, including Autism Speaks U, with which she has served in a leadership role over the past three years. The senior has also spent time as a mentor to middle school students, she has painted Evanston's fire hydrants purple with Youth Umbrella Organization, she has sang holiday carols at an assisted living facility and much more. From the 93 WBCA nominees, a distinguished voting panel selected two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA® Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA. Cohen and the rest of the Good Works Team will be honored at the WBCA Awards Show and NCAA Final Four in Tampa, Fla., in April.
SCOUTING MARYLAND
Overall Record: 26-2, 17-0 Big Ten
All-Time Series Record: First meeting
Notable: The Terrapins make their first-ever trip to Evanston in the midst of a 20-game winning streak that began on Dec. 7. Maryland has already locked up its first Big Ten championship and the No. 1 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament in Hoffman Estates, Ill. The squad, which ranks fifth nationally in scoring at 81.3 points per game, boasts four players who are averaging at least 12.5 points per game.
WIN BIG TEN TOURNAMENT TICKETS
The Wildcats are offering one lucky fan the opportunity to to win two All-Session tickets to next week's Big Ten Tournament at Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates, Ill. To read the complete contest rules and to register to win, please CLICK HERE.
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