Northwestern University Athletics
Women's Basketball Opens Conference Season Against Iowa
12/21/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2001
EVANSTON, Ill. -
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NORTHWESTERN (4-7, 0-0)
vs. Iowa (7-3, 0-0)
Date/Time: Saturday, Dec. 22/1 p.m. CST
Site Welsh-Ryan Arena (Evanston, Ill.)
Capacity: 8,117
Radio: WNUR (89.3 FM)
Television: None
The Big Ten season has arrived. Northwestern and Iowa play the first conference game of the year Saturday, Dec. 22, as the other nine schools begin next weekend. NU is riding a two-game winning streak and has won four of its last six. NU has not won two in a row since beating Northern Illinois (77-63) and Miami, Fla. (56-48) to start the 2000-01 season. The Hawkeyes are coming off a lopsided win (86-43) over Missouri Valley foe Creighton. The Hawkeyes have won the last two meetings and lead the all-time series 28-12.
Build, build, build -- that's what the coaching staff is trying to instill in the players. They want the players, especially the newcomers, to take something away from every game.
"Our players must believe they can win every time they take the floor," said head coach June Olkowski.
Believing that means having a short memory in conference play, as NU went 0-16 a year ago and hasn't won a regular-season conference matchup since a 50-44 decision over Minnesota back on Jan. 20, 2000, a 26-game stretch. The 'Cats did defeat the Hawkeyes (68-59) at the 2000 Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis' Conseco Fieldhouse -- site of this year's tournament. Since then, the teams have matched up twice with Iowa winning 95-61 in Iowa City and 92-52 in Evanston.
NU's leading scorer, Sarah Kwasinski (11.1 points per game), was held under 10 points against Long Beach State for just the fourth time this season, but junior Natalie Will has stepped up since her return to the starting lineup. In her last three games the Indiana native has averaged 10.7 points per game, 6.8 points higher than her first eight games of the year.
Where There's a "Will" There's a Way
Junior forward Natalie Will started the first two games of the season, then found herself as the team's sixth man, but has worked her way back into the starting lineup. She has started the last three games, and since her introduction back into the lineup has averaged 10.7 points per game-6.8 points higher than her first eight games of the year.
Swat Team
Comparing 2001-02 to 2000-01, NU has eight more blocks after the first 11 games than it did a year ago. As of Dec. 19, NU has 35 blocks compared to 27 at the same time last year. The jump is due in large part to the arrival of 6-foot-5 freshman Sarah Kwasinski, who leads the team with 17 blocks.
D-D-D-Defense
Eighty-three points ... that is the total number of points NU has given up its last two games-an average of 41.5 per contest. In those two games the 'Cats have forced 27.5 turnovers and averaged 16.5 steals per contest. In fact, against Long Beach State, NU held the 49ers to 15 second-half points, its second-best defensive effort of the season. The Wildcats held Hofstra to 14 points in their first 20 minutes back on Nov. 30.
Streaking
As a team, the Wildcats have won two straight and four of their last six. NU has not won two in a row since beating Northern Illinois (77-63) and Miami, Fla. (56-48) to start the 2000-01 season.
Bench Marks
Senior Ashley Messenger and junior Leslie Dolland came off the Wildcat bench against Eastern Illinois, sparking a 20-6 run to end the first half and give NU a 13-point halftime lead. Messenger and Dolland converted four fast break layups, combining to score 13 of NU's 20 points in the decisive run. The two veterans led the team in scoring-Dolland had 14, while Messenger had 11.
Top Performers
Freshman center Sarah Kwasinski continues to stand out, as she was one of the Big Ten's "Top Performers" for her play against Iowa State on Dec. 8. She turned in a career-best performance against fifth-ranked Iowa State, netting 18 of her game-high 26 points on 8-of-11 shooting in the second half. She also led all rebounders with 10, including seven on the offensive glass. Not to be outdone, junior center Leslie Dolland received her own "Top Performer" accolades (Dec. 17) for her 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals in just 17 minutes of work against Eastern Illinois.
One is the Loneliest Number
Freshman Melissa Culver has come within one assist of attaining double figures three times this season. She has 55 helpers this season, good enough to rank her third on the Big Ten's assist list. Only Penn State's Jess Strom (68-7.56) and Wisconsin's Tamara Moore (74-7.40) rank higher.
Freshmen PT
As the Wildcats took the floor for the season opener, true freshman Suzanne Morrison made her collegiate debut. Classmate Sarah Kwasinski broke into the lineup two games later, earning the start against Florida International. In all, the freshman class has made a considerable contribution already in this young season. Four of the five members of the 2005 class have started a game and all five have seen considerable action this season.
"Assist"ing Others
Since her insertion in the starting lineup against DePaul, Melissa Culver has averaged 6.5 assists per game. She is presently on pace to dish out 146 assists this season.
Board Games
As a team, NU is seventh in the conference in offensive rebounding, averaging 13.7 a game. But, 6-foot-5-inch Sarah Kwasinski is fourth on the conference's individual list, pulling down 3.20 caroms a game. Indiana's Jill Chapman leads the league with 4.22 rebounds per game. Not to be outdone, classmate Suzanne Morrison averages 2.60 offensive boards a contest.
Don't Call It a Comeback
Junior Anya Walker is back this year after sitting out the entire 2000-01 season with turf toe. The Wisconsin native is averaging 5.3 points and 3.2 rebounds per game. The shooting guard is tied for the team lead in three pointers, draining nine so far this season. Forty-five of Walkers 74 shot attempts have been from beyond the arc.
Rebounding Margin
With 10 games under its belt, NU has outrebounded opponents 401-370, averaging 40.1 caroms per contest. Six-foot-five inch Sarah Kwasinski is leading the rebounding attack, pulling down 7.5 boards per game. Classmate Suzanne Morrison is on her heels, averaging 6.5 caroms per contest.
Offensive Glass
Freshmen Sarah Kwasinski and Suzanne Morrison are NU's top two rebounders so far this season. Not only are they grabbing rebounds every time down the floor, they are pulling down offensive rebounds, a must for any team to be competitive. The two have combined to grab 58 of NU's 117 individual offensive boards (team rebounds equal 20).
World Traveler
Senior Ashley Messenger went on a nine-day tour of Europe this summer during which she helped the Big Ten women's basketball foreign tour team go a perfect 5-0. The Big Ten outscored its opponents by an average of 38.4 points per contest. During the tour, Messenger averaged 4.4 points and played in all five games. She averaged 1.8 rebounds and 1.4 assists a game, and scored seven points against Martigny and Troistorents.
Top 21
Freshman Sarah Kwasinski, a standout center from Fenwick High School in Oak Park, Ill., was named to womenscollegehoops.com's Preseason Top 21 New Players of Impact for the upcoming 2001-02 season.
Quick Studies
There are six newcomers to the 2002 women's basketball squad. This group has made the transition from high school to college (with the exception of Anya Walker-JuCo transfer) and stepped right into the Wildcat lineup. In fact, NU has scored 656 total points this season, and 368 of those have been scored by the newest members of the team. That's 56 percent of the offense.
Double Trouble
Freshmen Sarah Kwasinski and Suzanne Morrison are the only two Wildcats to reach the double-double (points/rebounds) plateau this season. In fact, Kwasinski has reached that plateau four times in her first 11 games. That number is good enough to put her in a third-place tie in the Big Ten statistics. Morrison has just one, but has come within one rebound in two other games.
Starting Young
For the second time this season, Coach Olkowski started four true freshmen against Long Beach State. Guards Samantha McComb and Melissa Culver, center Sarah Kwasinski and forward Suzanne Morrison are the newcomers. Junior Natalie Will was the only non-freshman starter.
Charity Stripe
Eleven games into the season, Northwestern has hit 128-of-179 free throw attempts. That's 72 percent, fourth in the Big Ten. NU is led by junior Anya Walker, who is shooting 91 percent from the line (10-for-11).
From Downtown
Before being sidelined by injury, junior Emily Butler was creeping up the career three-point field goal made list and the career three-point field goals attempted list. As of Nov. 26, she has hit 64 three-pointers in her career, needing just seven more to tie Kellie Cook for seventh on the career list. She also is seventh on the three-point field goal attempted list, launching 199 long balls thus far in her career.
Honorable Mention
Emily Butler is the Wildcats' top returner after earning honorable mention All-Big Ten honors in 2000-01. The Greenwood, Ind., native averaged 12.7 points, 2.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last year and scored in double figures 15 of the 26 games she played. Butler led the team in shots made and attempted while averaging more than 32 minutes a game, and was second on the team in three-pointers (28) and steals (32).
Not Just Yet
Due to NCAA transfer rules, Kristin Ambrose must sit out the entire 2001-02 season.
"Kristin has postseason experience and is dedicated not only to making her game better, but making our team's game better," said Olkowski. "She'll be a huge asset in practice."
At Virginia, she appeared in six games in 2000-01 and averaged 3.0 minutes, registering two rebounds against Mount St. Marys. She also played against Loyola, Saint Francis, Maryland, Liberty and Richmond.
New Addition
During the offseason, Coach Olkowski announced the hiring of former Notre Dame standout Sheila McMillen as her third assistant. McMillen comes to Evanston after spending two years as the third assistant coach at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Mich.
