Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Conclude Non-Conference Season Jan. 1
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
December 31, 1998
The Wildcats play their final non-conference game of the season on New Year's Day when they travel to UW-Milwaukee. So far this season, NU has posted a 5-4 record in non-conference games. The 'Cats are 6-4 overall, 1-0 in the Big Ten. They are coming off Wednesday's 68-66 win over Indiana in the Big Ten opener.
UW-Milwaukee is 4-6 with a 1-2 record at home, 2-2 mark away and a 1-2 record at neutral sites.
Northwestern Wildcats (6-4, 1-0)
at
UW-Milwaukee Panthers (4-6, 0-0
January 1, 1999 (7 p.m.) - Klotsche Center
The UW-Milwaukee Series
Northwestern owns a 2-0 record against the Panthers. The series began in 1992-93 when the Wildcats posted an 89-46 victory on Jan. 12 in Evanston. The last time these two teams met was Nov. 25, 1994 in Milwaukee. Northwestern squeaked out a 64-55 win.
NU Defeats Indiana, 68-66, in Big Ten Opener
Senior guard Megan Chawansky hit a 4 ft. pullup jumper on the right baseline with five seconds remaining in the game to lift Northwestern to a 68-66 victory over Indiana in the Big Ten opener Wednesday evening. The 'Cats were carried in the first half by junior forward Leslie Schock who scored 22 of her career-high 25 points in leading NU to a 41-31 halftime cushion.
The Hoosiers (11-5, 0-2) fought back and took their first lead (57-56) of the game at the 7:54 mark of the second half on a Kristi Green jumper. From that point on, the two teams were knotted up four times, the last at 66-66 when Indiana's Cindy Kerns made two free throws with 48 seconds remaining. NU called a timeout and designed the play for Chawansky.
Schock set a screen for Chawansky on the right wing. She dribbled off the screen down to the baseline, pulled up and nailed what proved to be the game-winning basket. Indiana had one last shot attempt in the closing seconds, but Dani Thrush's desperation runner rimmed out.
Chawansky finished with nine points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Sophomore center Tami Sears provided a boost for the Wildcats in the second half. She ended up with 14 points and eight boards.
NU outrebounded Indiana, 43-31. The Wildcats shot 49.1 percent for the game, while the Hoosiers shot 38.5 percent from the field.
About UW-Milwaukee
Three players are averaging at least nine points for the Panthers. Kelly Lubbers is leading the team with a 9.7 scoring average and 5.6 rebounding average. Corrin Von Wald is second in scoring with 9.4 ppg, while Daryl Schaffeld is third on the team in scoring with 9.2 ppg. The team has made 45-of-136 three-pointers for a .331 percentage. They are shooting .419 from the field.
Injury Report
Preseason All-American Kristina Divjak will miss the remainder of the 1998-99 season. She underwent surgery Dec. 28 for a condition in her left knee known as lateral patella compression syndrome.
"It's very difficult to lose a player of Kristina's ability," Perrelli said. "We must think of her well-being and make sure that she is able to come back and play the type of basketball that we're used to seeing from her. The team must adjust to this loss, step up and meet the challenges that lie ahead. I am confident that they can accomplish this as shown over the last three games."
The 6-0 senior forward and co-captain played in four games this season, averaging 16.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game before being sidelined. She tallied a season-high 27 points in a loss to then No. 22-ranked UC-Santa Barbara on Nov. 18.
The Wildcats will also be without senior forward Anne Giblin for about another two weeks, out with a stress fracture in her right foot. She was out eight weeks last year with a similar injury.
Preseason Honors
Kristina Divjak was a Preseason All-America selection by The Women's Basketball Journal. She received votes for the Associated Press Preseason All-America team and was selected by both the media and coaches to the preseason All-Big Ten team.
AP Top 25
The Wildcats disappeared from the Associated Press Top 25 "receiving votes" category following the California trip. NU received two votes in the Dec. 2 AP Poll. On Dec. 9, the 'Cats received seven votes. NU's next opponent, Indiana, received two votes on the Dec. 21 AP poll.
RPI Rankings
As of Dec. 25, Northwestern was 123rd in the RPI Division I Women's College Basketball Rankings.
Schock Therapy
In NU's last three games, junior forward Leslie Schock has stepped up her level of play. She scored 18 points and had four rebounds at Stanford. She scored 22 points and had nine rebounds at Cal. On Wednesday night, she tallied a career-high 25 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the win over Indiana.
Schock averaged 21.7 points and eight rebounds in Northwestern's last three games. She made 25-of-48 shots for a .520 field goal percentage and was 3-for-5 from three-point range.
Schock is NU's second-leading scorer and rebounder this year with 15.5 ppg and 7.0 rpg.
Chawansky Climbs Career Charts
In NU's win over Ohio, Megan Chawansky became the eighth player in school history to surpass 1,400 points. She has scored 1,456 career points. At Stanford, Chawansky went 8-for-16 from the free-throw line, moving into second place on the school's all-time free throws attempted chart. She surpassed Michele Ratay '97 with 550 attempted free throws in her career. Northwestern's leader in this category is Anucha Browne '85 who attempted 719 free throws during her four-year career.
NU Career Record Book Update
Senior co-captain Megan Chawansky ranks among the all-time Northwestern leaders in several categories:
Career Points Career Assists 5. Julie Calahan (1,648) 4. Laura Wiesen (474) 6. Kristina Divjak (1,624) 5. Connie Erickson (448) 7. Amy Prichard (1,533) 6. M. Chawansky (434) 8. M. Chawansky (1,456)Roger L. White Most Valuable PlayerCareer 3-Pointers Made Career 3-Point Att. 1. Michele Ratay (244) *1. Michele Ratay (629)* 2. Kristina Divjak (218) 2. Kristina Divjak (533) 3. Moira Kennelly (173) 4. Maureen Holohan (326) 4. Maureen Holohan (115) 5. M. Chawansky (320) 5. M. Chawansky (113)
Career Free Throws Made Career Free Throw Att. 5. Michele Savage (382) 1. Anucha Browne (719) 6. M. Chawansky (367) 2. M. Chawansky (555) 9. Maureen Holohan (272) 10. Kristina Divjak (264) * Big Ten record
Senior guard and co-captain Megan Chawansky was named the MVP of the Roger L. White Invitational on Dec. 5. She scored 18 points, had seven rebounds and four assists in the win over Ohio. Against Western Kentucky in the title game, Chawansky scored 17 points and again pulled down seven rebounds to go along with four assists. It was the second time in her career that she was named the MVP of the White Tournament. She previously won the honor in 1996.
Roger L. White All-Tournament Team
For their performances against Ohio and Western Kentucky, sophomores Tami Sears and Dana Leonard each earned a spot on the all-tournament team. Sears totaled 22 points and 15 rebounds in the two games, while Leonard registered 35 points (7-of-18 3PT) and eight assists over the two-day event.
In the Big Ten (stats as of Dec. 30)
Megan Chawansky ranked third in the Big Ten in scoring (17.7 ppg) behind Purdue's Stephanie White-McCarty and Illinois' Susan Blauser. She was fifth in assists (5.00 apg) and tied for eighth in steals (2.00 spg). Leslie Schock ranked fourth in the conference in field goal percentage (.553).
Tami Sears was third in rebounding (9.7 rpg), while Dana Leonard was fifth in the Big Ten in 3-pt. FG% at .371 (26-of-70).
Putting Points on the Board
Northwestern was third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (77.0 ppg) as of Dec. 30. Teams in front were Purdue (82.2 ppg) and Michigan (81.1 ppg).
Hitting the Boards
The Wildcats were ranked second in rebounding behind Penn State in the Dec. 30 Big Ten statistical report. NU was averaging 44.7 caroms per outing and holding its opponents to 39.2 rebounds per game. Its +5.4 rebounding margin was fourth-best in the conference. On the offensive glass, Northwestern ranked second behind Penn State, with 17.11 offensive boards per game. It was ranked third in defensive rebounds (27.56) behind Indiana (28.67) and Michigan (28.00).
Knocking Down Treys
The Wildcats were third in the Big Ten in three-point field goals made as of Dec. 30 with an average of 4.78 three-pointers a game. The team in second place was Indiana with 6.27 threes a game. Purdue was first with 6.33 threes a game. Indiana has canned a conference-best 94 threes after 15 games.
Sophomore Starters
Sophomore standouts Tami Sears and Dana Leonard have provided a big boost for the Wildcat lineup in the first 10 games this season. Sears, a center, leads the team in rebounding (9.5 boards per game), is tied for second in steals (1.1 spg), third in assists (1.6 apg) and fourth in scoring (10.9 ppg).
Leonard gives Northwestern a point guard who can hit the three-point shot. She is the team's third-leading scorer with 15.0 ppg. She has made a team-high 27 three-pointers, while shooting 38.0 percent from beyond the arc. She is also second in assists (3.4 apg) and tied for second in steals (1.1 spg).
Attendance Marks Broken
Last season, Northwestern set both single-game and single-season attendance records. The 'Cats drew 17,711 fans to Welsh-Ryan Arena, breaking the old mark of 17,672 set in the 1996-97 season. The Wildcats set a school single-game attendance record on Jan. 16, 1998, when 3,665 fans attended the NU-Wisconsin game. The old single-game mark of 3,416 was set in 1995 against Iowa.
This year, the NU athletic department is holding another "Pack the Place" promotion on Jan. 17 for the 4 p.m. game against Ohio State. All tickets will be sold for $1.
Head Coach Don Perrelli
Don Perrelli (Southern Connecticut State, 1961) is in his 15th season at the helm of the Wildcats and 23rd as a collegiate head coach. He is approaching his 250th career victory at Northwestern. His overall record now stands at
419-241, while he owns a 244-170 record with the Wildcats. NU has advanced to postseason play six times during Perrelli's tenure.
NU Signs Four to Letters of Intent
NU snagged one of the top 20 classes in the country, according to Joe Smith of the Women's Basketball News Service. Head coach Don Perrelli announced the signing of four high school seniors to play at Northwestern beginning in the fall of 1999:
Emily Butler (PG, 5-8, Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove)
Nicole Daniels (G/F, 5-10, White Plains, N.Y./White Plains)
Leslie Dolland (C, 6-2, Bloomington, Minn./The Blake School)
Natalie Will (F, 5-9, Nappanee, Ind./Northwood)
"It's a very, very good recruiting class for us," Perrelli enthused. "We hit all our areas of need. Butler is a very good point guard, Will is an excellent outside shooter, Daniels is a "3" player with athletic ability and Dolland is a strong "5" player in the post."
Northwestern on the Radio
WNUR (89.3 FM) will serve as the official radio carrier of Wildcat women's basketball this season. The station has committed to cover 20 games. A rotating student crew will call the action. All games will be broadcast for the remainder of the season except for the next two (Dec. 30 at Indiana and
Jan. 1 at UW-Milwaukee).
Northwestern on Television
The Wildcats already had one televised game. Fox Sports Bay Area broadcast the California game on Dec. 17. Two more Northwestern games will air next month when the Fox Sports Chicago Game of the Week package begins. Jan. 17 - NU vs. Ohio State, 4 p.m. CST - FSC network Jan. 31 - NU at Minnesota, 2 p.m. CST - FSC network Dave Eanet and Amy Prichard are joined by Ann Werner for this season's Big Ten Women's Basketball coverage.
