Northwestern University Athletics
Dayton Flies in for 'Wildcat Field Trip'
12/16/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Dayton Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Today the Northwestern women's basketball program would like to welcome the surrounding elementary schools as they take part in a midweek 'Wildcat Field Trip' to Welsh-Ryan Arena for today's basketball contest against the visiting Dayton Flyers.
A crowd of nearly 2,000 students (primarily elementary and junior high) are projected for today's game with a list of activities that include, a sit-down learning session on the importance of doing well and staying in school and how teamwork and sportsmanship help student-athletes on and off the court. Following that, coaches and selected women's basketball alumni will put on a basketball skills session followed by a group stretching session conducted by Northwestern's strength and conditioning department.
Festivities begin at 10 a.m., with the Wildcats and Flyers tipping off at noon. NU and UD have just one common opponent this season, as both teams competed against Drake. In its second game of the year, NU fell to the Bulldogs, 68-35, while Dayton defeated Drake, 79-72, on Dec. 7. Both games were played at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa.
While UD is scoring 70 points per game (70.4), NU is giving up only 57.4 points per contest, good enough for third in the Big Ten. Purdue (55.0) and Ohio State (55.3) lead the conference in scoring defense.
UD brings in a long-range attack as three starters average double figures and the team averages seven three pointers per game. Leading that charge is Sarah Allen. Allen, a 6-foot forward, averages 12.1 points per game and is UD's leading three-point threat, making 18 of her 44 attempts (.409). The Flyers' leading scorer and rebounder is forward Cyndi Stull. Stull, a junior, averages 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
The Wildcats will defend the Flyer combo with the sophomore duo of Sarah Kwasinski and Samantha McComb. Kwasinski, ranked 11th in the Big Ten in scoring, leads the squad with 14.3 ppg, while McComb chips in 10.4 per contest. McComb is also NU's leading three-point threat, making 12 of her 35 attempts (.343). Not to be forgotten is senior Natalie Will, who last time out scored eight points, dished out seven assists, grabbed six rebounds and had four steals. Will averages 7.3 ppg.
Wildcat Quickies
* Sarah Kwasinski, a sophomore, needs 22 points for 500 in her
career.
* Three Wildcats are perfect from the free throw line this season.
* Leslie Dolland was voted team captain.
* Eleven of NU's 14 players hail from different states.
* Three of NU's four coaches have head coaching experience.
-Olkowski at Arizona and NU
-Darling at the Air Force Academy
-Grennan at St. Joseph's (Pa.)
* Sue Darling spent two years (1996-97) working for the Seattle
Reign (ABL) as an assistant coach.
* The team is tied for first in Big Ten free throw percentage
(63-for-81) (.778).
* Samantha McComb and Sarah Kwasinski are the only two
Wildcats to start every game this season.
* For the first time in 35 games, NU has two starters averaging
double figures.
Team 'D'
According to the latest Big Ten stats, NU is second to Indiana in field goal percentage defense. IU is holding its opponents to a .329 (160-for-487) field goal percentage while NU's opponents hit .364 (144-for-396) percent of their shots.
Nationwide Charity
According to the national statistics found on ncaa.org, Northwestern was tied for 21st in the country last week in free throw percentage (63-for81, .778). But after a 24-for-26 outing against Southern Illinois, the Wildcats are now shooting .813 (87-for-107) from the charity stripe. That percentage is tied with Penn State atop the Big Ten and if the rankings remain the same, NU could be ranked as high as fourth in the country. As of noon, Dec. 16, national stats were not updated from the previous week.
In the 'Steal' of the Night
In the last two games, the Wildcats have tallied 24 steals, an average of 12 per game. Prior to that, NU managed just 31 takeaways, a 6.2 per game average.
Bench Points
Last Saturday against Southern Illinois, the Northwestern bench scored a season high 30 points and shot an outstanding 71 percent (10-for-14) from the floor. The majority of those points came from sophomore guard Kristin Ambrose, who scored a career-high 19 points. Her 19 points and seven rebounds were both team highs.
From Downtown
So far this season, Dayton has taken 140 three-point attempts, hitting 56 of those attempts for a .400 three-point field goal percentage. The Wildcats have taken just 108 three-point attempts so far this season, hitting just 29 for a .269 three-point field goal percentage.
'Turn'ing Over a New Leaf
With seven games played this season, the Wildcats have 116 turnovers, a 16.6 average. That is a 38-turnover improvement from last season. In 2001-02, NU had 154 turnovers (22.0 average) in the same amount of games. On the other side, NU has six more steals (53/47) than this time last year.
Streaking
NU is riding a three-game win streak, which happens to be the longest win streak in head coach June Olkowski's tenure at Northwestern. In those three games, NU is beating its opponents by an average of 12.3 points per game. The three game streak is the Wildcats' longest winning streak since five in a row at the beginning of the 1998-99 season.
Tourney Champs
Northwestern's women's basketball team earned its 10th Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational title and the first since 1998 with a 57-43 victory over Alabama-Birmingham at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Dec. 7. NU defeated Yale, 54-44, in the first round.
Two-for-Two
Sophomore Sarah Kwasinski has been named to the all-tournament teams at both of NU's nonconference tournaments, the Rutgers Coca-Cola Classic and the Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational. The 'Cats will play a third tournament later this month (Dec. 20-21) at The University of Denver.
Not to be Outdone
With Sarah Kwasinski racking up the all-tournament selections, classmate Samantha McComb should not be forgotten. The Michigan native torched Yale for 19 points in the first round of the Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational and was an integral part of the championship-game win, dishing out four assists and collecting one steal. For her efforts, attending media and tournament personnel named her to the all-tournament team.
Block Party
Northwestern sophomore Sarah Kwasinski has 10 blocks so far this season. Those 10 throw-backs leave her three blocks shy of fifth place on the career blocked shots list. Tracie Diemer (67, 1982-83) is currently fifth, three ahead of Kwasinski's 64.
Wildcat Athlete's of the Week
Center Sarah Kwasinski and guard Kristin Ambrose have earned Northwestern's Wildcat Athlete of the Week honors the past three weeks for their outstanding contribution on the basketball floor. Kwasinski earned the honor two weeks in a row before Ambrose won last weeks honor, torching Southern Illinois for 19 points, seven rebounds, two assists, one steal and one block. It is Ambrose's first distinction of her career.
Unlucky 13
After 13 straight games with 10 or more points, sophomore Sarah Kwasinski scored just eight points in NU's 75-62 win over Southern Illinois last Saturday. Kwasinski rarely dips below the 10-point mark. As a matter of fact, in 35 career games, Kwasinski has reached double figures 27 times, including 20 of her last 23.
Fresh Faces
NU welcomes one fresh face to the program and one semi-new fresh face. The newest member of the Wildcat clan is Ifeoma Okonkwo, who hails from Spring, Texas. Okonkwo has stepped right into the fire, averaging 15.0 minutes in the first six games. After sitting out the mandatory one year-due to NCAA transfer rules-Kristin Ambrose has hit the hardwood running, averaging 24.5 minutes per game while chipping in 5.3 points per game.
A Coke and A Smile
Sophomore Melissa Culver and Sarah Kwasinski each were tabbed All-Classic performers for their play at the Rutgers Coca-Cola Classic in Piscataway, N.J., earlier this season. Culver, a point guard, averaged 10 points per game while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Kwasinski, a center, averaged 18 points, 7.5 rebounds and blocked three shots, while scoring a game-high 22 points in a first-round 68-65 victory over Richmond.
Coaching Changes
In the offseason, Cleve Wright took a head coaching job at Gannon College in Pennsylvania and Sheila McMillen left the coaching profession. Enter NU's two new coaching assistants, Sue Darling and Regina Grennan. Following a one-year hiatus, Darling comes to Evanston after spending the previous three years as head coach at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. Darling took over the Falcon program as the team and school transitioned itself from an NCAA Division II program to Division I. Grennan found her way to the Wildcat program after serving as an assistant at both Richmond University and St. Joseph's University (Pa.). After spending just one season (1990-91) with the Spiders, Grennan spent the next 10 with the Hawks in Philadelphia. In all, the pair brings almost 30 years of coaching experience to the sideline.
European Travelers
Northwestern was well-represented on last summer's Big Ten Women's Basketball Foreign Tour team. Head coach June Olkowski and assistant Tricie Johnson led the squad to a perfect 5-0 record during the 10-day trip through Holland and Belgium. Senior center Leslie Dolland and sophomore guard Melissa Culver were key contributors for the all-star team. Culver, NU's top three-point shooter a year ago, proved to be one of the All-Stars' biggest three-point threats as well. She drained three treys in the team's final game, a 96-62 win over Meetjesland in Kaprijke, Belgium. Culver finished the trip with a team-best six three-pointers. Dolland, NU's third leading rebounder in 2001-02, was tough on the glass during the tour. She grabbed nine boards against Ekeren, another Belgian club, and averaged 4.8 rebounds per game, second among the All-Stars.
