Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts Michigan State Tonight
1/6/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 6, 2000
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL vs. Michigan State
Thursday, Jan. 6, 2000 ? 7 p.m.
Welsh-Ryan Arena ? Evanston, Ill.
TV: None
RADIO: WNUR (89.3 FM)
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (3-8, 0-1 Big Ten)
The Wildcats earned their third win of the season last Wednesday against Loyola (Chicago), 76-73. The ?Cats closed out the decade by snapping a five-game losing streak with the win. Emily Butler led the team with 21 points, while Tami Sears added 19, Leslie Schock 14 and Leslie Dolland 10. Sears is the team?s leading scorer, averaging 11.0 points per game. Dana Leonard averages 10.1 ppg while Schock averages 9.8 ppg. Sears is also the team?s leading rebounder, averaging 6.6 boards per game.
ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (10-3, 1-1 Big Ten)
On Jan. 2, Michigan State extended its home win streak to nine games by defeating Ohio State, 62-50. Becky Cummings tabbed 16 points and 15 rebounds and Kristen Rasmussen added 17 points and 14 rebounds. The Spartans dropped a 64-61 decision to Michigan in Ann Arbor in their Big Ten opener on Dec. 30.
THE SERIES
Northwestern owns a 20-18 advantage over the Spartans in a series that began during the 1975-76 season. Michigan State captured both meetings between the two teams last year. The last time the Wildcats posted a victory in the series was Jan. 20, 1995, when they defeated the Spartans, 67-61 in Evanston. Since then, MSU has won seven straight meetings.
NORTHWESTERN PROBABLE STARTERS
Pos. Player Cl. Ht. PPG RPG Miscellaneous
F Leslie Schock Sr. 6-0 9.8 6.4 30.1 mpg
F Tami Sears Jr. 6-1 11.0 6.6 .500 fg%
C Leslie Dolland Fr. 6-2 6.3 5.4 .600 ft%
G Natalie Will Fr. 5-9 2.7 2.2 .571 ft%
G Emily Butler Fr. 5-8 6.1 3.1 3.3 apg
HOW THEY MATCH UP
Northwestern MSU
Points Per Game 54.2 76.5
Points Allowed 70.8 66.4
Rebounds 38.5 43.2
Rebound Margin +4 +6.4
FG% .384 .458
FG% defense .448 .403
3-pt FG% .305 .356
FT% .576 .698
Assists 13.6 18.8
Turnovers 21.9 18.3
Blocks 1.8 4.6
Steals 4.5 9.1
SPREADING IT AROUND
This season eight Wildcats are averaging double figures in minutes played per game. Dana Leonard and Leslie Schock are the only players averaging more than 30 minutes per game.
DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Freshman Leslie Dolland recorded the first double-double of her college career with a 10-point, 11-rebound performance against Creighton on Dec. 21. Tami Sears, meanwhile, recorded her third double-double of the season with an 18-point, 10-rebound performance against the Bluejays. Sears recorded seven double-doubles last season.
BUTLER GET CAREER HIGH
Freshman guard Emily Butler was 8-of-17 from the floor, sinking three treys as she scored a career high 21 points in the Wildcats win over Loyola. She has scored 61 points this season, averaging 6.1 per game. Butler is also the only Wildcat to start in all 11 games so far this season.
NEXT UP
Following tonight?s game, Northwestern plays host to the Hawkeyes of Iowa on Jan. 9. The game will be televised on Fox Sports Chicago. Game time is slated for 4 p.m. The ?Cats end their homestand with a contest on Jan. 12 versus Wisconsin.
