Northwestern University Athletics
Men's Basketball Plays Host to Penn State
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
January 19, 1999
Northwestern Wildcats (9-5, 2-3 Big Ten)
vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (9-6, 1-4 Big Ten)
Wed., Jan. 20, 1999 -- 6 p.m. CST
Radio: WGN AM 720
TV: ESPN Regional
The Wildcats look to snap a two-game losing streak on Wednesday as Northwestern hosts Penn State. NU is coming off a 57-49 loss to 17th-ranked Wisconsin on Saturday. PSU has not played since falling 61-58 to the Badgers last Wednesday.
The game remained tight throughout the first half. UW held a 16-11 lead midway through the period before a 7-0 Wildcat run gave NU its first lead of the game (18-16) at the 5:13 mark. The teams would head into the locker room knotted at 23-23. The Badgers opened the second half with a 16-1 run to build a 39-24 lead with 12:48 remaining in the game. NU battled back, eventually trimming the margin to three points (49-46) on a pair of free throws by Evan Eschmeyer with 2:21 left. UW went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the final 1:51 to hold onto the victory.
Evan Eschmeyer continued his excellent play, notching his fourth-straight double-double with game-highs of 24 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks. Eschmeyer shot 8-of-13 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Sean Wink hit three three-pointers en route to a nine-point effort while Julian Bonner dished five assists in the loss.
Wildcat Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name (height, weight, class, hometown) ppg rpg F #33 Tavaras Hardy (6-8, 210, Fr., Joliet, Ill.) 8.4 4.9 C #42 Evan Eschmeyer (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio) 20.6 10.4 G #4 Julian Bonner (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 4.1 2.2 G #22 Sean Wink (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.) 10.4 2.1 G #24 David Newman (5-11, 165, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa) 8.2 2.3Off the bench F #5 Joe Harmsen (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.) 1.0 1.9 G #10 Matt Kammrath (6-0, 185, Jr., Boca Raton, Fla.) 0.0 0.0 F #11 Danny Allouche (6-5, 200, Sr., Omer, Israel) 2.8 2.2 F #14 Steve Lepore (6-5, 200, Fr., North Olmstead, Ohio) 4.8 4.0 G #31 Nate Pomeday (6-2, 201, Sr., Cedar Grove, Wis.) 1.6 0.7 G #32 Collier Drayton (6-1, 175, Fr., Lyons, N.Y.) 0.0 3.0 C #35 Aron Molnar (6-11, 242, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario) 1.6 1.9 G #44 Jeff Eschmeyer (6-2, 192, So., New Knoxville, Ohio) 0.0 0.5
Northwestern-Penn State, The Series
This marks the 14th meeting in the all-time series between Penn State and Northwestern, with the Nittany Lions holding an 11-2 series lead.
Head Coach Kevin O'Neill
Kevin O'Neill (McGill, 1979) is in his second season at the helm of the Wildcat basketball program. This is his 11th season as head coach at the Division I level and 13th overall as a collegiate head coach. He also has served as head coach at North Country CC (1980-82), Marycrest (1982-83), Marquette (1989-94) and Tennessee (1994-97).
O'Neill owns a 19-22 record at NU and a 159-142 record as a Division I head coach. Known as one of the best recruiters in the nation, O'Neill resurrected the Marquette and Tennessee programs, taking two teams which had not enjoyed recent success to postseason play.
Eschmeyer Records Triple-Double
Evan Eschmeyer recorded just the second triple-double in program history with his 27-point, 12-rebound, 10-assist performance in Wednesday's loss at Indiana. It also was the first-ever triple-double posted in IU's Assembly Hall. The only other time the feat was accomplished by a Wildcat was by Jim Pitts versus Purdue in 1966. The last triple-double posted by a Big Ten player was Penn State's Calvin Booth (19p, 10r, 10b) at Dayton in the first round of last year's NIT.
One of the Nation's Top Defenses
The biggest reason for Northwestern's good start has been the team's work on the defensive end of the floor. The Wildcats have adopted a "blue collar" approach to defense, diving after loose balls and making the hustle plays necessary to win games.
The 'Cats enter the week ranked second in the Big Ten in both field goal percentage defense and scoring defense, holding opponents to .365 from the field and just 55.8 points per game. Northwestern also leads the Big Ten in three-point field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot just .278 from beyond the arc. Here's what NU has done to opposing offenses this season:
* Held Maine and St. Francis, currently ranked 25th and 26th in the NCAA in scoring, to 69 points, 11 below their average.
* Held Oakland, currently leading the NCAA team rankings with 10.1 threes per game, to just three three-pointers.
* Held #21 Iowa (76 ppg entering the game) to just 52 points.
* Held #16 Minnesota (74 ppg entering game) to 55 points. Also held UM to .311 shooting (.486 entering game).
Quick Hits
* NU has either been tied or led at halftime in 13 of 14 games this season. The only time the 'Cats have trailed at the break was Indiana.
* NU's wins at Minnesota and Illinois marked the first time since 1993-94 that the 'Cats had won two-straight Big Ten road games.
* NU's win at No. 16 Minnesota was its first over a ranked team since 1993-94 (97-93 vs. No. 7 Michigan).
* A win vs. Penn State would give the 'Cats 10 wins in its first 15 games. The last NU team to do that was the 1982-83 squad, which opened the year 11-4. Only three other NU teams since 1950 have opened the year 10-5 ('50-'51, '58-'59, '68-'69).
Eschmeyer Leads the Big Ten -- Times Three
Evan Eschmeyer currently stands atop the Big Ten in three statistical categories: rebounds (10.4 rpg), field goal percentage (.621) and double-doubles (nine). He also is third in the Big Ten in scoring (20.6 ppg).
Nationally, "Esch" ranks tied for fourth in double-doubles, 10th in field goal pct., 14th in rebounding and tied for 41st in scoring. Eschmeyer enters the Penn State game with 38 career double-doubles and has scored in double figures 55-straight games.
More on Eschmeyer
Evan Eschmeyer has scored 931 career points against Big Ten Conference competition. He is looking to become just the second Wildcat ever, and the 57th in conference history, to record 1,000 Big Ten points. Billy McKinney is the only NU player to accomplish the feat.
On December 29, he was named to the mid-season top 30 team for the John Wooden Award, which is presented by the Los Angeles Athletic Club to the national player of the year. Eschmeyer was one of only two true centers to earn a spot on the list (Washington's Todd MacCulloch).
He has been named Big Ten Player of the Week twice this season. On December 28, he was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week after recording double-doubles in NU's games against Boston College (23p, 10r) and Long Beach State (16p, 13r).
On Jan. 11, he earned the honor again after leading NU to wins at 16th-ranked Minnesota and at Illinois. Eschmeyer tallied 24 points and 15 rebounds in the win over the Golden Gophers. He followed that with a 16-point, 17-rebound, five-assist performance at Illinois.
Eschmeyer's 17 rebounds at Illinois on Jan. 9 is the most in the Big Ten this season. Also, Eschmeyer's nine double-doubles is nearly twice as many as his closest Big Ten competitor. Indiana's William Gladness is second with five double-doubles.
Eschmeyer Nearing NU Rebound Record
Evan Eschmeyer is fast approaching the Northwestern career rebound record, entering Wednesday's game with 848 career boards. The record of 885 is held by Kevin Rankin. Within the next couple of weeks, "Esch" also could easily move into second in NU history in free throws, blocked shots and scoring. Here's where Eschmeyer currently ranks among NU's all-time career leaders:
Category Eschmeyer Next Up FG Pct. 1st - .603 --- FT Attempts 1st - 723 --- FT Made 3rd - 453 Kevin Rankin (458) Blocked Shots 3rd - 106 Jim Pitts (123) Rebounds 3rd - 848 Joe Ruklick (868) Field Goals 4th - 536 Kevin Rankin (553) Scoring 5th - 1,525 Cedric Neloms (1,533) Reb. Avg. 6th - 8.7 Willie Jones (9.0) Scoring Avg. 9th - 15.7 Sibley/Ragelis (15.7)
Wink, NU Lead the Big Ten in Three-Pointers
Sophomore guard Sean Wink currently stands atop the Big Ten in three pointers made, averaging 2.93 per game. In his last 11 contests, Wink has hit 33-of-69 (.492) from three-point range. With his three three-pointers against Wisconsin, Wink surpassed Jeff Grose (125 threes) for second in school history. Todd Leslie holds the all-time Wildcat record with 203 treys. For his career, Wink is shooting .438 (127-290) from three-point range.
Against Boston College, Wink hit 6-of-12 from three-point range, marking the fifth time in his brief NU career that he has hit six three-pointers. All five of those games have come at home. Wink also hit five three-pointers against Long Beach State and four at Minnesota, at Illinois and at Indiana. NU, as a team, leads the Big Ten in three pointers, averaging 7.0 per game.
Big Ten Stat Leaders
Here's where the 'Cats rank among the Big Ten and NCAA stat leaders (Big Ten as of Jan. 18, NCAA as of Jan. 11):
Individual - All Games Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer - 3rd Big Ten, t41st NCAA (20.6 ppg) Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st Big Ten, 14th NCAA (10.4 rpg) FG Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st Big Ten, 10th NCAA (.621) Double-Doubles: Evan Eschmeyer - 1st Big Ten, t4th NCAA (nine) Assists: David Newman - 9th (3.1 apg) FT Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 13th (.715) 3pt Made: Sean Wink - 1st (2.93 tpg) 3pt Pct.: Sean Wink - 6th (.402) Blocks: Evan Eschmeyer - 5th (1.6 bpg) Offensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (3.2 orpg) Defensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (7.1 drpg)Team - All Games 3pt Pct. Defense: 1st (.278) 3pt FG Made: 1st (7.0 tpg) Scoring Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 3rd NCAA (55.8 ppg) FG Pct. Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 1st NCAA (.365) Assists: 4th (16.1 apg) Blocked Shots: 5th (3.6 bpg) Rebound Margin: 5th (+3.9 rpg) Asst/TO ratio: 5th (1.05-to-1) 3pt Pct. Offense: 6th (.360)
Home Court Advantage
In Kevin O'Neill's two seasons as head coach, the Wildcats have made Welsh-Ryan Arena a tough place to play. NU has a 17-9 home court record under O'Neill, which is a marked improvement considering that, in the three seasons prior to O'Neill's arrival in Evanston, NU won just 14 home games.
Last year, the 'Cats went 10-6 at home, the first time in a decade that NU had won 10 games in their own arena. That mark included a seven-game home winning streak.
In Memoriam
The Wildcats will wear a patch on the left corner of their shorts for the remainder of the season bearing the initials "D.P." The patch is in memory of Don Pomeday, father of senior guard Nate Pomeday, who passed away on December 9.
Letter-of-Intent Signees
During the November early signing period, the Wildcats signed five players to National Letters of Intent to begin playing basketball at NU next season:
Winston Blake (F, 6-5, 180, Plano, Texas/Plano Senior)
Brody Deren (F, 6-7, 223, Harlan, Iowa/Harlan Comm.)
Aaron Jennings (C, 6-11, 200, Atkins, Iowa/Benton Comm.)
Ben Johnson (G, 6-3, 180, Minneapolis, Minn./De La Salle)
Adam Robinson (F, 6-10, 210, Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls)
Johnson (No. 60) and Blake (No. 95) are each ranked among the top 100 players in the country by Bob Gibbons. Deren was "Southwest Iowa Player of the Year" as a junior, while Jennings and Robinson were both named All-Americans this season by various publications.
NCAA Recognizes Wildcat Greats
In its recently-released book "Men's Basketball Finest," the NCAA recognized three former Wildcat players and two former NU coaches. Wildcat All-Americans Otto Graham, Max Morris and Joe Reiff were among the 396 players chosen while Dutch Lonborg and Harold Olsen were among the 119 coaches to earn a place among the best in NCAA history.
Coaches vs. Cancer
Head coach Kevin O'Neill is one of several coaches across the country who have joined together to help the fight against cancer. Fans are asked to pledge a certain amount of money for each assist the Wildcats make throughout the 1998-99 season. O'Neill will personally donate $5 for every assist this season to Coaches vs. Cancer. Fans can pick up pledge forms and brochures in the Welsh-Ryan Arena lobby during all home games.
Ask the Coach
Fans have an opportunity to submit questions to Kevin O'Neill and have them answered either on his weekly television show on Fox Sports Chicago or following games on WGN radio. Go to the Wildcat web site at NUSPORTS.COM and click on the special "Ask the Coach" link.
Wildcats on the Air
Once again this season, WGN-AM 720 will be the radio home of Wildcat basketball. Dave Eanet handles the play-by-play chores while Joey Meyer will handle the color analysis. Every Wildcat game this season will be aired by WGN.
The Kevin O'Neill Show
Once again this season, Fox Sports Chicago will air "The Kevin O'Neill Show." Dave Eanet, play-by-play announcer for NU football and basketball on WGN radio, hosts the half-hour show. The next show will air Tue., Jan. 26, at 3:30 p.m. CST and replayed that night at 1 a.m. CST.
#4 Julian Bonner - Has started the past seven games after coming off the bench in the first seven ... Started every game last season at point guard ... Hit the game-winning three pointer against St. Francis with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock ... Ranks seventh in NU history with 244 career assists ... Ranks fifth in NU history with 93 career three pointers.
#5 Joe Harmsen - Reserve power forward/center ... Grabbed season-high four rebounds against Oakland, Dayton and Seton Hall.
#10 Matt Kammrath - Walk-on ... Saw game action vs. Oakland and UW-Milwaukee this season.
#11 Danny Allouche - Tallied season-bests of seven points vs. UWM and five rebounds against Long Beach State ... Reserve forward ... Sat out last season after transferring from Missouri.
#14 Steve Lepore - Started the first seven games ... Crashes the boards hard ... Excellent all-around game ... Hit three three-pointers at Minnesota and at Indiana ... Had six boards in the win at Illinois ... Is 9-of-15 (.600) from three-point range in NU's five Big Ten games.
#22 Sean Wink - NU's top three-point threat ... Has hit 127 career three pointers ... Hit six three-pointers against Boston College, tying his career best ... Also nailed five three-pointers against Long Beach State and four treys on four other occasions ... Is 15-of-30 (.500) from three-point range against Big Ten competition this year ... Set the NU single-season three-point mark (86) as a freshman.
#24 David Newman - Starting point guard as a true freshman ... Tallied a season-best 22 points and five rebounds against Furman ... Dished eight assists in his collegiate debut against Maine ... Has come through in several clutch situations this season, especially from the free throw line in the final minute.
#31 Nate Pomeday - Reserve shooting guard ... Plays with a lot of heart and emotion ... One of the team's most vocal leaders ... Has hit at least one three pointer in four of the last nine games, all coming off the bench.
#32 Collier Drayton - Extremely quick athlete ... Is a stronger defensive player than offensive ... Grabbed three rebounds in seven minutes against Oakland.
#33 Tavaras Hardy - Scored in double figures three of his first five collegiate games ... Tallied first career double-double (18p, 10r) vs. Oakland ... Has a nice outside touch from about 15-feet ... Had 13 points at Indiana, his highest point total since the Oakland game.
#35 Aron Molnar - Backup center ... Pulled down five rebounds in 15 minutes against Oakland and five boards in 10 minutes against Boston College ... Also had three boards in nine minutes against Dayton ... One of the most improved, if not the most improved, players on the team.
#42 Evan Eschmeyer - National Player of the Year candidate ... One of only two true centers on the mid-season top candidate list for the Wooden Award ... Ranks fourth in the country with nine double-doubles this season, including a triple-double at Indiana ... Within the next couple of weeks, should move into first or second in Wildcat history in seven different categories ... Has scored 20-or-more points in eight of 14 games this season.
#44 Jeff Eschmeyer - Younger brother of Evan Eschmeyer ... Walked onto the squad last season ... Saw action against Oakland and UWM ... Lone rebound came vs. UWM.
Wildcat Season Bests
#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 8 three times, last at Illinois (1/6/99)
Rebounds: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98) and
at Illinois (1/6/99)
Assists: 6 at Minnesota (1/6/99)
#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 2 five times,
last vs. Iowa (1/3/99)
Rebounds: 4 three times,
last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
#10 Matt Kammrath
Points: none
Rebounds: none
#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 7 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)
#14 Steve Lepore
Points: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Assists: 5 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and
Furman (11/28/98)
Steals: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
#22 Sean Wink
Points: 20 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
3pt. FG: 6 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
#31 Nate Pomeday
Points: 6 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Rebounds: 2 three times,
last vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
3pt. FG: 2 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 4 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)
and at Illinois (1/9/99)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and
vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 28 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and
vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
Rebounds: 17 at Illinois (1/9/99)
Assists: 10 at Indiana (1/13/99)
Blocks: 3 three times,
last vs. Wisconsin (1/16/99)
#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: none
Rebounds: 1 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
Wildcat Career Bests
#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 23 vs. Siena (11/22/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. DePaul (12/6/97)
Assists: 9 three times,
last vs. Michigan State (1/31/98)
Steals: 3 seven times,
last at Penn State (1/22/98)
#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 21 at Wisconsin (1/29/97)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Chicago State (1/27/98) and
vs. Penn State (2/8/98)
#10 Matt Kammrath
Points: 4 vs. Central Michigan (11/26/96)
and Penn State (1/25/97)
Rebounds: 1 four times,
last vs. Illinois (1/10/98)
#11 Danny Allouche
Points: 20 vs. Kansas State (2/1/97)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Nebraska (1/22/97)
Assists: 4 vs. Oklahoma State (2/13/96)
#14 Steve Lepore
Points: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 12 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98)
Assists: 5 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) and
Furman (11/28/98)
Steals: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
#22 Sean Wink
Points: 24 vs. Ohio State (2/21/98)
Rebounds: 7 at Illinois (2/18/98)
Assists: 4 three times,
last at Seton Hall (12/19/98)
3pt. FG: 6 five times,
last vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
#24 David Newman
Points: 22 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Rebounds: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
Assists: 8 vs. Maine (11/17/98)
3pt. FG: 5 vs. Furman (11/28/98)
#31 Nate Pomeday
Points: 18 vs. Michigan State (2/19/97)
Rebounds: 6 vs. Md.-Eastern Shore (11/29/97)
3pt. FG: 4 five times,
last vs. Iowa (2/25/98)
#32 Collier Drayton
Points: none
Rebounds: 3 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
#33 Tavaras Hardy
Points: 18 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Rebounds: 10 vs. Oakland (11/21/98)
Assists: 5 vs. Boston College (12/23/98)
#35 Aron Molnar
Points: 12 at Illinois (1/10/98)
Rebounds: 7 vs. Sam Houston State (11/26/97)
#42 Evan Eschmeyer
Points: 37 vs. Penn State (2/8/98)
Rebounds: 18 vs. Seton Hall (12/13/97)
Assists: 10 at Indiana (1/13/99)
Blocks: 5 at Indiana (2/22/97) and
at Seton Hall (12/9/95)
#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: 2 vs. Minnesota (1/7/98)
Rebounds: 4 at Iowa (1/3/98)
