Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Basketball at Illinois Tonight
2/10/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2000
NORTHWESTERN WOMEN'S BASKETBALL vs. No. 25 Illinois
DATE/TIME: Thursday, Feb. 10, 2000/7:30 p.m. Central
SITE: Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
TV: FOX Sports Net
RADIO: WNUR (89.3 FM)
ABOUT NORTHWESTERN (6-15, 3-8 Big Ten)
The Wildcats lost a pair of Big Ten games, but gave a Welsh-Ryan record crowd of 3,926 plenty to cheer about against defending NCAA champion Purdue. Northwestern overcame an 11-point halftime deficit and was within two points (56-54) with less than a minute to play, but the Boilermakers got a big bucket and then made their free throws down the stretch for a 64-57 win. Tami Sears had 16 points and 10 rebounds to lead the 'Cats, while freshman Emily Butler had 15 and Dana Leonard added 11. In the loss at Michigan State, Leonard had 14 points off the bench while freshman Leslie Dolland scored 10 points and snared seven rebounds.
ABOUT ILLINOIS (17-8, 7-4 Big Ten)
The 25th-ranked Illini went 1-1 last week, losing 70-59 to Michigan on the road and defeating Minnesota 81-49 at home. Tauja Catchings recorded a pair of double-doubles, getting 14 points and 11 rebounds against Michigan and 17 points and 11 boards against Minnesota. In the loss to the Wolverines, Susan Blauser paced the team with 16 points, while Allison Curtin added 14 points. In the victory over the Gophers, Curtin led all scorers with 22 points and also led the Illini with six assists and five steals.
THE SERIES
Northwestern owns a 31-11 series advantage over the Fighting Illini in a series that began during the 1975-76 season. Then 13th-ranked Illinois defeated the 'Cats 82-65 when they met on Jan. 23. Last season the teams split, with each winning on the other's home court.
NORTHWESTERN PROBABLE STARTERS
F - Leslie Schock (Sr., 6-0) 9.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg
F - Tami Sears (Jr., 6-1) 12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg
C - Leslie Dolland (Fr., 6-2) 5.9 ppg, 5.5 rpg
G - Natalie Will (Fr., 5-9) 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg
G - Emily Butler (Fr., 5-8) 7.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg
ILLINOIS PROBABLE STARTERS
F - Kylie Martin (Sr., 6-2) 7.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg
F - Susan Blauser (Sr., 6-2) 13.8 ppg, 7.8 rpg
C - Tauja Catchings (Sr., 6-1) 15.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg
G - Allison Curtin (So., 5-9) 17.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg
G - Shavonna Hunter (Fr., 5-7) 8.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg
COACHING CONNECTION
NU coach June Olkowski and Illinois head coach Theresa Grentz square off tonight for the fifth time in their careers as head coaches. Grentz has a 3-1 advantage over her former star forward and All-American. From 1978 to 1982, Olkowski starred on Grentz' Rutgers team, leading the Scarlet Knights to the AIAW National Championship in 1982.
SCOUTING ILLINOIS
The Illini are currently ranked 25th in the nation and averaging 76.6 points per game while holding their opponents to 67.4 points. They are shooting 43.8 percent from the field and 71.1 percent from the charity stripe. Individually, three players are averaging double figures, led by Allison Curtin with 17.8 points per game. Tauja Catchings follows with 15.5 points, while Susan Blauser averages 13.8 points per game. Catchings is also the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 8.0 boards per game.
HOW THEY MATCH UP
Points -- NU 54.1, Illinois 76.6
Points Allowed -- NU 68.8 , Illinois 67.4
Rebounds -- NU 36.5, Illinois 40.1
Rebound Margin -- NU +1.0, Illinois +0.8
FG% -- NU .392, Illinois .438
FG% defense -- NU .442, Illinois .397
3-pt FG% -- NU .344, Illinois .397
FT% -- NU .560, Illinois .711
Assists -- NU 14.71, Illinois 14.76
Turnovers -- NU 22.52, Illinois 18.72
Blocks -- NU 2.0, Illinois 3.16
Steals -- NU 6.04, Illinois 10.52
