Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats to Face Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament
6/21/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
February 23, 1999
#9-Seed Northwestern Wildcats (11-15, 5-11)
vs.
#8-Seed Iowa Hawkeyes (12-14, 7-9)
EVANSTON, Ill. - The 1999 Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament gets underway Fri., Feb. 26 at 4 p.m. EST, when the No. 9-seeded Northwestern Wildcats take on the No. 8-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. The two teams met once this season, on Valentine's Day. Iowa came away with the 86-69 victory in Iowa City. Northwestern split its final two regular season home games last weekend, with a 79-68 triumph over Indiana and a 71-62 loss to No. 1-ranked Purdue.
Iowa, on the road last weekend, also split its final two regular season games. The Hawkeyes defeated Michigan (78-75), but fell to Illinois (86-73).
NU's Series with Iowa
The Hawkeyes own a 26-9 lead in the series with Northwestern that dates back to the 1979-80 season. They have won the last seven meetings, including two games last year (65-58 in Iowa City, 79-72 in Evanston) and one game this year (86-69 in Iowa City). The last time the Wildcats defeated the Hawkeyes was Jan. 22, 1995 (58-57 in Iowa City).
Northwestern in the Big Ten Tournament
Northwestern has won only one game at the Big Ten Tournament, since its revival in 1995, and has never made it past the quarterfinals. In 1996, the No. 7-seeded Wildcats defeated No. 10-seeded Michigan, 89-79.
1995 1997 Quarterfinals Quarterfinals (5) Indiana 77, (4) NU 75 (4) Iowa 73, (5) NU 631996 1998 First Round First Round (7) NU 89, (10) Michigan 79 (7) Penn State 97, (10) NU 76 Quarterfinals (2) Penn State 85, NU 70
NU's First Iowa Meeting (Feb. 14, 1999)
Senior center Amy Herrig scored a career-high 42 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in her last contest at Carver-Hawkeye Arena to give Iowa an 86-69 win.
Herrig's 42 points were a Carver-Hawkeye Arena record. Herrig also tied a Big Ten record for most field goals made in a game with 17. Megan Chawansky led Northwestern with 27 points, while Leslie Schock added 17 points and 11 rebounds.
NU jumped out to a 10-7 lead after Chawansky hit a layup with 14:45 to play in the first half. Then Iowa went on a 27-6 run and took a 41-20 halftime lead. The Hawkeyes held Northwestern to .265 shooting in the first half, as Herrig scored 20 points.
In the second stanza, Northwestern cut Iowa's lead to 14 (58-44) after Chawansky hit a jumper at the 11:26 mark. Iowa then went on a 23-10 run, going ahead 81-54 with 4:18 remaining. After Herrig banked in a three pointer, Iowa held on for the 86-69 win.
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. His overall record now stands at 425-251. He owns a 250-180 record with the Wildcats. NU has advanced to postseason play six times during Perrelli's tenure.
On Jan. 20, Perrelli announced his retirement, effective at the end of this season. He has been honored by five schools for his contributions to women's basketball. On Jan. 27, before the start of the Penn State game, Coach Rene Portland presented Perrelli with the Nittany Lion Award and a sweatshirt. Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz presented Perrelli with a Big Bertha golf club to enjoy during his retirement. He has also been presented with gifts from Michigan State, Iowa and Purdue.
Celebrating Perrelli
Head coach Don Perrelli notched his 250th career win at Northwestern in the team's win over Indiana last Friday. Senior associate athletic director Ken Kraft presented Perrelli with a commemorative basketball following the game.
After the Purdue game, Perrelli's last game in Welsh-Ryan Arena, the Northwestern athletic department held a surprise reception for him. His family, colleagues, friends and some former players were all in attendance. He was presented with a set of golf clubs, a leather Northwestern jacket and a Northwestern chair.
Attendance Marks Broken
Northwestern set a Welsh-Ryan Arena women's basketball attendance record against Ohio State as 3,779 fans turned out for "Pack the Place 1999." The Wildcats broke the old single- game attendance record of 3,665, set on Jan. 16, 1998 for the NU-Wisconsin game.
All-Around Game
Senior guard Megan Chawansky is one of the most complete players to ever wear a Northwestern uniform. She is the first player in NU history to record 1,700 points, 600 rebounds, 500 assists and 150 steals in her career. (see career charts on next page.)
Moving Up the Career Scoring Chart
Senior guard Megan Chawansky climbed to third on Northwestern's all-time scoring chart with 27 points at Iowa. She surpassed Maureen Holohan (1991-95), who totaled 1,699 points during her tenure at NU. Chawansky has scored 1,737 career points and sits third behind Anucha Browne (2,307 points) and Michele Ratay (1,798 points).
Dishing Out Assists
Senior guard Megan Chawansky moved into fourth place on Northwestern's all-time assist chart after she dished out seven assists at Wisconsin. Chawansky surpassed Laura Wiesen (1983-86) and now has 524 career assists. Chawansky became the fourth Wildcat, and only the 11th player in Big Ten history to join the 500-assist club after dishing out six assists at Illinois.
Gettin' to the Line
At Stanford, Chawansky made eight free throws to move into second place on the school's all-time free throws attempted chart. She has now gone to the line 650 times during her career. This season, Chawansky has gone to the line more than any other Wildcat (171 times). She averages 6.6 trips to the line a game. (See career charts on next page.)
Double-Doubles
Sophomore center Tami Sears owns a team-high seven double-doubles this season. Her double-doubles have come against: DePaul (14 points, 11 rebounds), Stanford (11 points, 12 rebounds), California (14 points, 14 rebounds), Illinois (13 points, 14 rebounds), Minnesota (21 points, 11 rebounds), Indiana (15 points, 14 rebounds) and then No. 2-ranked Purdue (16 points, 10 rebounds).
Junior forward Leslie Schock registered her fourth double-double of the season and the seventh of her career after tallying 17 points and 11 rebounds at Iowa. Her other three double-doubles this season have come against Ohio State (16 points, 10 rebounds), Indiana (25 points, 11 rebounds) and at Illinois (22 points, 11 rebounds). Senior guard Megan Chawansky, who has 11 double-doubles for her career, registered her first double-double this season at Wisconsin with 17 points and 13 rebounds. She had another one five days later at Penn State with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Last Friday night, she tallied 18 points and 10 rebounds in NU's win over Indiana.
Play the Best to be the Best
Last Sunday against No. 1 Purdue, Leslie Schock rallied the Wildcats in the first half, scoring their first 11 points. She made all eight of her shots in the first half for 18 points, including a three pointer at 3:32 which gave NU a 28-27 lead. Schock finished with a game-high 22 points against the No. 1 Boilermakers.
Tami Sears held her own inside and then some, posting the game's only double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
Injury Report
* Junior forward Leah Berki suffered a broken nose at Minnesota on Jan. 31. She will play with a protective mask. * Preseason All-American Kristina Divjak is out 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. According to team athletic trainer Jackie Wise, the surgery was a success. Divjak is eligible to return as a fifth-year senior in 1999-2000. 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.
Schock of the Season
Well, maybe it wasn't the shock of the season, but the emergence of junior forward Leslie Schock was definitely a pleasant surprise. Schock reached double figures in scoring in 21 of 25 games this season and had a streak reaching double digits 10-straight games earlier in the year. She recorded three-straight 20-plus scoring efforts with 22 points at Cal, 25 points at Indiana and a career-high 26 points (11-of-13) at UW-Milwaukee. Schock is NU's second-leading scorer and rebounder this year with 15.1 ppg and 6.5 rpg. She leads the team with a .531 field goal percentage, having hit 162 of 305 shots from the floor.
Chawansky on a Streak
Megan Chawansky rides a 10-game double figure scoring streak into Friday's matchup with Iowa. If she reaches double digits against the Hawkeyes, it will mark the longest double figure scoring streak for any Wildcat this season. Leslie Schock registered a 10-game streak earlier in the season
(Nov. 20 - Jan. 5).
Rebounding Leader
Tami Sears leads Northwestern in rebounding this season with a total of 219 and an average of 8.4 rpg. It is the best mark since Christina Braden led the Wildcats with an 8.5 average in 1996. With 18 more boards, Sears could move into a tie for 10th on the all-time single-season rebounding chart.
NU Career Record Book Update
Senior co-captain Megan Chawansky ranks among the all-time Northwestern leaders in nine categories. She most recently moved into seventh on the school's all-time rebounding chart.
Career Points
1. Anucha Browne (2,307) 2. Michele Ratay (1,798) 3. M. Chawansky (1,737)Career Assists
2. Moira Kennelly (546) 3. Amber DeWall (541) 4. M. Chawansky (524)Career Three-Pointers Made
1. Michele Ratay (244)* 2. Kristina Divjak (218) 3. Moira Kennelly (173) 4. M. Chawansky (132)Career Three-Point Att.
1. Michele Ratay (629)* 2. Kristina Divjak (533) 3. Moira Kennelly (454) 4. M. Chawansky (374)Career Free Throws Made
1. Anucha Browne (469) 2. Michele Ratay (442) 3. M. Chawansky (440) 4. Katrina Hannaford (387) 5. Nancy Kennelly (385)Career Free Throw Att.
1. Anucha Browne (719) 2. M. Chawansky (650)
Career Rebounding
5. Maureen Holohan (683) 6. Michele Savage (681) 7. M. Chawansky (665)Career Steals
6. Michele Savage (200) 7. Anucha Browne (196) 8. Megan Chawansky (190)Games Played
1. Laura Augustyniak (122) 2. Kelly Cole (121) P. Vanderbush-Murphy (121) 4. Michele Ratay (120) 5. Megan Chawansky (119)* Big Ten record
Nearly a Triple-Double
Last Friday against Indiana, Tami Sears nearly missed recording the second triple-double in Northwestern women's basketball history. Sears needed just two more assists to accomplish the feat. She scored 15 points and had 14 rebounds and a career-high eight assists.
Three-Point Threat
Dana Leonard has hit at least one three pointer in 20 of 25 games played this season. She leads Northwestern in three pointers made (54) and attempted (158). At Michigan State, she was 6 of 12 from beyond the arc, tying for second on the school's single-game three-pointers made chart and reaching fourth on the single-game three-pointers attempted list. Currently, Leonard is sixth in the Big Ten in three-point field goal percentage (.342).
In Big Ten games only, Leonard ranked 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.309). She hit 25 of 81 treys against conference foes this season.
Starting Lineup Logging Minutes
Three of Northwestern's starting five played all 40 minutes against Purdue last Sunday (Chawansky, Leonard, Sears). A fourth starter played 39 minutes (Schock).
Those four players are each averaging over 32 minutes a game. Chawansky leads the group with 36.9 mpg. Leonard and Schock each average just over 34 minutes and Sears checks in with 32.5 mpg.
Point Production
Northwestern's starting five of Chawansky, Leonard, Sears, Schock and Flores have been responsible for 86 percent of the Wildcats' scoring this season.
Strong Nucleus Returning
The new women's basketball coach at Northwestern will have plenty of talent assembled around him or her upon arrival in Evanston. Four of the top five scorers from thisseason will be back, as will 1998 Big Ten scoring champion Kristina Divjak (22.1 ppg). Leonard, Schock and Sears will be the returning starters, while Clarissa Flores and Leah Berki each have played a significant role the past two seasons.
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 (point guard, 5-8, Greenwood, Ind./Center Grove) Nicole Daniels (guard/forward, 5-10, White Plains, N.Y./White Plains) Leslie Dolland (center, 6-2, Bloomington, Minn./The Blake School) Natalie Will (forward, 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."
