Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Open Big 10 Play Against Iowa
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
December 30, 1998
EVANSTON, Ill. - The Wildcats open Big Ten Conference play on Sunday as NU hosts Iowa. The Hawkeyes are ranked 21st by AP and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll.
Northwestern enters the game having won its last six home games, including a 67-47 decision against Long Beach State on December 27. The Wildcat defense continued to shine as it held the 49ers to just 26 percent shooting (14-55) from the floor and 16 percent (3-19) from three-point range. NU never trailed, opening the game on a 9-0 run, including two three-pointers by Sean Wink. Evan Eschmeyer had solid first half, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in only 13 minutes of play.
Eschmeyer notched his third-straight double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the contest. Wink continued his hot shooting with 16 points, including five three-pointers. Freshman forward Tavaras Hardy took advantage of the 49ers spread-out defense to record 11 points and five rebounds.
1998-99 Wildcat Schedule and Results
Record: 7-2, 0-0 Big Ten
Date Opponent Time/Result
Tue., Nov. 17 MAINE L 57-69
Sat., Nov. 21 OAKLAND UNIVERSITY W 68-30
Wed., Nov. 25 ST. FRANCIS (N.Y.) W 69-66
Sat., Nov. 28 FURMAN W 62-55
Sat., Dec. 5 DAYTON W 61-57
Mon., Dec. 14 UW-MILWAUKEE W 80-44
Sat., Dec. 19 at Seton Hall L 52-63
Wed., Dec. 23 BOSTON COLLEGE W 69-59
Sun., Dec. 27 LONG BEACH STATE W 67-47
Sun., Jan. 3 IOWA (ESPN Regional) Noon
Wed., Jan. 6 at Minnesota (ESPN Regional) 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 9 at Illinois (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 1:30 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 13 at Indiana (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 5 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 16 WISCONSIN (ESPN) 11 a.m.
Wed., Jan. 20 PENN STATE (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 6 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 23 TEXAS PAN-AMERICAN 7 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 27 PURDUE (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 7 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 30 at Michigan State (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 7 p.m.
Thu., Feb. 4 MICHIGAN (ESPN Regional) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 6 at Penn State (WBBM-TV in Chicago) 11:15 a.m.
Wed., Feb. 10 at Wisconsin (ESPN Regional) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 13 INDIANA (WBBM-TV in Chicago) 1:30 p.m.
Wed., Feb. 17 ILLINOIS (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 20 at Ohio State (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 11:15 a.m.
Wed., Feb. 24 at Iowa (television TBD) 7 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 27 MINNESOTA (WJYS-TV in Chicago) 3:30 p.m.
March 4-7 at Big Ten Tournament TBA
(United Center, Chicago)
Home games in CAPS at Welsh-Ryan Arena. All times central.
Times and dates subject to change. All of NU's Big Ten games (except Jan. 16 vs. Wisconsin)
are televised by ESPN Regional. Stations carrying the game will vary by market.
Location 1501 Central Street, Evanston, Ill. 60208 Enrollment 7,400 undergraduates Colors Purple and White President Henry S. Bienen Athletic Director Rick Taylor Home Arena (Capacity) Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) Season 94th, starting in 1904-05 Head Coach Kevin O'Neill Years as Head Coach 2nd at NU, 11th in Div. 1, 13th overall Record at NU 17-19 Division I Coaching Record 157-139 Overall Career Record (All Years) 177-160 1997-98 Record 10-17 1997-98 Big Ten Record/Finish 3-13 (t9th) Letterwinners Returning/Lost 9/1 Starters Returning/Lost 4/1
Northwestern Wildcats (7-2)
vs. #21/24 Iowa Hawkeyes (9-1)
Sun., Jan. 3, 1998 -- Noon CST
Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117)
Radio: WGN AM 720
TV: ESPN Regional
Northwestern-Iowa, The Series
This marks the 142nd meeting in the all-time series between Iowa and Northwestern, with the Hawkeyes holding a 96-45 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 17-19 record at NU and a 157-139 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.
A Good Week for Evan Eschmeyer
Sixth-year senior center Evan Eschmeyer had a very good start to the week. On Monday, he was named Big Ten Conference Co-Player of the Week after recording double-doubles in NU's games against Boston College (23p, 10r) and Long Beach State (16p, 13r). Esch found a comfort zone at the free throw line during the two games, going 21-for-25 (.840).
On Tuesday, he was named to the mid-season top 30 team for the John Wooden Award, which is presented 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).
Blue Collar Defense
The biggest reason for Northwestern's excellent 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.
Entering this week, the Wildcats rank second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (54.4) and lowest opponent's field goal percentage (.346). Since Kevin O'Neill took over the helm of the Northwestern program, the Wildcats have held opponents to fewer than 70 points in 26 of 36 contests.
In the Dec. 15 NCAA rankings, NU was eighth nationally in field goal percentage defense and 10th in scoring defense. NU is one of only three teams to rank in the NCAA top 10 in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense (Stanford and Missouri). The next NCAA rankings are released January 4.
Worth noting is that, at the time of the last NCAA rankings, NU was allowing 55.4 ppg and opponents were shooting .353 from the field. Both of those numbers have improved in the last two weeks.
Quick Hits
Of the 18 halves of basketball played this season by NU, the Cats have held an opponent to 30 points or less on 15 occasions. Only St. Francis, Maine and Seton Hall posted more than 30 points in a period.
NU has led at halftime every game this season. The Wildcats have outscored opponents 301-213 in the first half, holding an average lead of 33-24 at halftime.
Evan Eschmeyer has scored 829 career points against Big Ten Conference competition. He needs just 171 points to become only the second Wildcat ever, and 57th in conference history, to record 1,000 Big Ten points. Billy McKinney is the only NU player to accomplish the feat.
Eschmeyer Among Big Ten Leaders
Sixth-year center Evan Eschmeyer currently ranks second in the Big Ten in rebounds (9.3 rpg) and third in both scoring (20.7 ppg) and field goal percentage (.653). Eschmeyer currently leads the Big Ten Conference in double-doubles with five. He enters the Iowa game with 34 career double-doubles and has scored in double figures 50-straight games.
In late November, he was named one of 31 candidates for the Oscar Robertson Award, presented by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to the national player of the year. Eschmeyer was one of four Big Ten players on the award's preseason list (Mateen Cleaves, A.J. Guyton, Michael Redd).
While Eschmeyer's offensive numbers are stellar, don't discount his work on the defensive end. In the nine games this season, opposing teams' starting centers have shot just a combined 21-for-63 (.333) while averaging a mere 7.1 points and 4.2 rebounds per game.
Watching Esch in the Record Books
Evan Eschmeyer enters the Iowa contest with 1,423 career points, fifth in NU history. Against Long Beach State, he surpassed current Wildcat Asst. A.D. Shon Morris (1,407). Cedric Neloms is fourth with 1,533 career points. Here's where Eschmeyer currently ranks among NU's all-time career leaders:
Category Eschmeyer Next Up FG Pct. 1st - .606 --- FT Attempts 2nd - 672 Cedric Neloms (676) FT Made 3rd - 413 Kevin Rankin (458) Blocked Shots 3rd - 100 Jim Pitts (123) Rebounds 4th - 787 Jim Pitts (800) Scoring 5th - 1,423 Cedric Neloms (1,533) Reb. Avg. 7th - 8.6 Ron Kozlicki (8.6) Scoring Avg. 9th - 15.5 Sibley/Ragelis (15.7)
Eschmeyer Preseason Honors
The following are some of the preseason honors gained by Wildcat center Evan Eschmeyer:
Attendance Moving Up
During the nonconference season, the Wildcats increased their attendance 16 percent over last season. NU has drawn 28,248 fans at home this season, an average of 3,531 per game. Last year, NU drew a total of 24,420 fans for its eight nonconference games, an average of 3,053.
Wink Leads the Big Ten in Threes
Sophomore guard Sean Wink enters the week atop the Big Ten Conference in three pointers made, averaging 2.9 per game. In his last six contests, Wink has hit 18-of-39 (.462) from three-point range. Wink has hit 112 three pointers in his 36 career games, the third-most threes in school history. For his career, Wink is shooting .431 (112-260) 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 have come at home, the most recent being last season vs. Ohio State. Wink also hit five three-pointers in NU's last contest against Long Beach State.
Newman Coming Through in the Clutch
Freshman point guard David Newman currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists (3.7 apg) and is seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.38-to-1).
He has made several clutch plays this season down the stretch. Against St. Francis, Newman hit three pointers with 56 and 48 seconds left to tie the game at 66-66. He then followed his own missed shot on the game's final possession, tipping the ball to Julian Bonner who hit the game-winning three pointer with 0.4 seconds left.
In the win against Furman, Newman hit a three pointer with 2:27 left to give NU a 56-50 lead. He also made 3-of-4 free throws in the final 48 seconds to help the Wildcats secure the victory. Against Dayton, Newman scored eight of his 11 points in the second half, all of which came in the final 10 minutes after the Flyers had cut the NU lead to three points. Against BC, he hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final 38 seconds to seal the win.
Big Ten Stat Leaders
Here's where the Cats rank among the Big Ten and NCAA stat leaders (Big Ten as of Dec. 28, NCAA as of Dec. 14):
Individual Scoring: Evan Eschmeyer - 3rd Big Ten, 40th NCAA (20.7 ppg) Rebounds: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (9.3 rpg) FG Pct.: Evan Eschmeyer - 4th Big Ten, 10th NCAA (.653) Assists: David Newman - 4th (3.7 apg) 3pt Made: Sean Wink - 1st (2.9 tpg) Blocks: Evan Eschmeyer - 6th (1.8 bpg) Asst/TO ratio: David Newman - 7th (1.38-to-1) Offensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (3.4 orpg) Defensive Rebs: Evan Eschmeyer - 2nd (5.9 drpg)Team Scoring Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 10th NCAA (54.4 ppg) FG Pct. Defense: 2nd Big Ten, 8th NCAA (.346) Asst/TO ratio: 2nd (1.11-to-1) 3pt FG Made: 3rd (6.67 tpg) 3pt Pct. Defense: 4th (.303) Assists: 4th (16.6 apg) Rebound Margin: 4th (+5.2 rpg)
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 17-7 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.
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. 5, at 3:30 p.m. and replayed that night at 1 a.m. CST.
Wildcats on the Web
Complete statistics and releases on Wildcat basketball will be available throughout the season on Northwestern's official internet site. The web address is WWW.NUSPORTS.COM. Information on the Big Ten Conference is available on the conference web site at www.bigten.org.
Wildcat Probable Starters
Pos. No. Name (height, weight, class, hometown) ppg rpg
F #33 Tavaras Hardy (6-8, 210, Fr., Joliet, Ill.) 9.9 4.9
C #42 Evan Eschmeyer (6-11, 255, Sr.-6, New Knoxville, Ohio) 20.7 9.3
G #4 Julian Bonner (6-1, 198, Sr., Detroit, Mich.) 3.4 1.9
G #22 Sean Wink (6-2, 176, So., Brea, Calif.) 10.4 2.3
G #24 David Newman (5-11, 165, Fr., Des Moines, Iowa) 9.6 2.4
Off the bench
F #5 Joe Harmsen (6-9, 248, Sr., Fond du Lac, Wis.) 1.0 2.1 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) 3.3 2.3 F #14 Steve Lepore (6-5, 200, Fr., North Olmstead, Ohio) 3.6 4.7 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) 1.1 2.0 G #44 Jeff Eschmeyer (6-2, 192, So., New Knoxville, Ohio) 0.0 0.5
Wildcat Season Bests
#4 Julian Bonner
Points: 8 vs. St. Francis (11/25/98) Rebounds: 4 at Seton Hall (12/19/98) Assists: 4 vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98)
#5 Joe Harmsen
Points: 2 four times, last at Seton Hall (12/19/98) 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
0 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) 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: 13 vs. Oakland (11/21/98) and vs. Long Beach State (12/27/98) Assists: 4 vs. Dayton (12/5/98) Blocks: 3 vs. Maine (11/17/98) and vs. Dayton (12/5/98)
#44 Jeff Eschmeyer
Points: none Rebounds: 1 vs. UW-Milwaukee (12/14/98)
#4 Julian Bonner - Has started the past two 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 ninth in NU history with 229 career assists Ranks fifth in NU history with 88 career three pointers.
#5 Joe Harmsen - Reserve power forward/center Grabbed season-high four rebounds against Oakland, Dayton and Seton Hall Very physical player.
#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 first six games Crashes the boards hard Very quiet player on the court Ranks second on the team in assists, third in rebounds and fourth in steals.
#22 Sean Wink - NU's top three-point threat Has hit 112 three pointers in 36 career games Hit six three-pointers against Boston College, tying his career best Also nailed four three-pointers against Oakland 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 Very gutsy player who plays with no fear.
#31 Nate Pomeday - Reserve shooting guard Plays with a lot of heart and emotion One of the team's most vocal leaders Can be very dangerous from three-point range when his shot is on.
#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 been able to take advantage of the opponents' constant double teaming of Evan Eschmeyer.
#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.
#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 Leads the Big Ten with five double-doubles this season Averaging 20.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game despite playing against defenses designed specifically to stop him Has scored in double figures 50-straight games, a school record Gained approximately 20 pounds of muscle during the offseason.
#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 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: 8 vs. Troy State (12/2/97) 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)
Game Recaps
Maine 69, NU 57 - Nov. 17 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Hardy (16) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (10)NU opened a nine-point lead late in the first half (24-15), thanks to a 10-2 run, five of which came from David Newman. Maine answered with a 7-2 run to narrow the gap to 26-22 at halftime. The two teams stayed within striking distance of each other until the Black Bears went on a 15-3 run to take a 55-45 lead. Tavaras Hardy paced NU with 16 points in his collegiate debut. Evan Eschmeyer registered a double-double with his 15-point, 10-rebound performance. Maine's Andy Bedard led all scorers with 31 points.
NU 68, Oakland 30 - Nov. 21 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (19) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (13)NU scored the first 18 points of the contest and did not allow the Golden Grizzlies to score until a free throw at the 13:21 mark. Oakland's first field goal of the game would not come until the 9:29 mark, cutting the Wildcat lead to 26-3. The 30 points scored by OU was the fewest ever scored by a team in Welsh-Ryan Arena, while their 13 first-half points tied the arena record for fewest points in a half, set four times previously.
NU 69, St. Francis 66 - Nov. 25 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (28) High Reb. - Lepore (12)David Newman came up big in the final minutes, leading the Wildcats on a 13-2 run to close the game, including two three-pointers in the final minute. Newman's second trey came with 48 seconds left in the game to knot the score at 66-66. On NU's final possession, Newman followed his own missed 15-foot jumper and tapped the ball to senior guard Julian Bonner, who nailed a three pointer from the right wing with 0.4 seconds left for the win.
NU 62, Furman 55 - Nov. 28 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Newman (22) High Reb. - Eschmeyer/Wink/Newman (5)The Wildcats led from the outset as Sean Wink hit a three pointer just 10 seconds into the game. The lead swelled to 21-6 before Furman began to creep back into the game, cutting the deficit to 35-27 at halftime. David Newman came through again in the clutch, as his three pointer with 2:27 left gave NU a 56-50 lead. Newman also hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 48 seconds of the game.
NU 61, Dayton 57 - Dec. 5 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (28) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (9)NU scored the first five points of the game, getting a three-pointer by David Newman just nine seconds into the contest. Dayton rallied to claim an 18-11 lead on the strength of four three-pointers, three of which were made by UD's Tony Stanley. The Cats, however, took a 32-27 lead into the locker room, and expanded the lead to 12 points at 41-29 with 15:21 remaining in the game. UD closed the gap to 41-38, but would never get closer. Eschmeyer posted a season-best 28 points. Newman scored 11 points and, more importantly, committed just one turnover in 32 minutes of play.
NU 80, UW-Milwaukee 44 - Dec. 14 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (22) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (10)NU controlled the game from the outset, taking an early 6-0 lead on back-to-back three pointers by Sean Wink and David Newman. The cushion was 20 points at halftime (40-20), with NU's largest lead of the game turning out to be the final score. The Cats shot a season-best .521 from the field and hit a season-best nine three pointers. Eschmeyer had his third double-double of the season while Wink and Newman added 13 points apiece. The Wildcat defense continued to sparkle, holding UWM to just 29.1 percent shooting and forcing 16 Panther turnovers.
Seton Hall 63, NU 52 - Dec. 19 - Continental Airlines Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (22) High Reb. - Hardy (8)Seton Hall took control early, leading by as much as 10 points at 22-12 midway through the first half, and would hold a 26-18 margin with 6:46 left in the period. NU would permit just two baskets the remainder of the half, outscoring the Pirates 15-4 during that span to take a 33-30 halftime lead. The game remained close throughout the second half, as Seton Hall led 51-48 with 4:38 left in the game. NU was unable to keep the Pirates off the boards down the stretch, and Seton Hall came away with the victory.
NU 69, Boston College 59 - Dec. 23 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer (23) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (10)NU came out hot, leading by as much as 10 points at 18-8 midway through the first half. The Wildcats held a 35-29 advantage at halftime. BC opened the second half with a 9-0 run to take the lead for the first time at 38-35 with 17:14 left in the game. With the contest tied at 51-51 and 4:29 remaining, the Wildcats defense stepped up, holding BC without a field goal until just 25 seconds were left in the game. Evan Eschmeyer notched his fourth double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Sean Wink tallied a season-best 20 points, including 6-of-12 three pointers.
NU 67, Long Beach State 47 - Dec. 27 - Welsh-Ryan Arena
High Scorer - Eschmeyer, Wink (16) High Reb. - Eschmeyer (13)The Wildcat defense continued to shine as it held the 49ers to just 26 percent shooting (14-55) from the floor and 16 percent (3-19) from three-point range. NU never trailed, opening the game on a 9-0 run, including two three-pointers by Sean Wink. Evan Eschmeyer notched his third-straight double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds for the contest. Wink continued his hot shooting with 16 points, including five three-pointers. Freshman forward Tavaras Hardy took advantage of the 49ers spread-out defense to record 11 points and five rebounds.
