Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Up For The Challenge
12/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 3, 2002
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EVANSTON, Ill. - One week ago, it looked like the members of the Northwestern men's basketball program were in for a sour Thanksgiving weekend.
The Wildcats had just lost to IUPUI, 56-53, at home. This, despite the fact that IUPUI was playing its fourth game in five games, including three in three days on the road. Adding injury to insult-literally-Winston Blake, NU's leading scorer the last two years, went down with a serious ankle sprain. He was immediately ruled out for Saturday's game at Kansas State.
Sometimes it is darkest before dawn, however, and that turned out to be the case over the holiday weekend. Saturday night, freshman Jimmy Maley stepped into the starting lineup in Blake's place and had a debut for the ages. Playing all 40 minutes, he hit five three-pointers to tie for team-high scoring honors, dished out three assists and had no turnovers. Three other NU players hit double figures as the Wildcats gained a rousing, 59-55 victory in Manhattan.
"Saturday's win was important to us, because everyone associated with this program-from the coaches down to the players-was disappointed with our performance against IUPUI," said head coach Bill Carmody. "I liked the way the guys came out and erased those bad feelings."
In the upbeat locker room afterward, Coach talked to the team about the "vicissitudes of life" as he summed up the week. For those of you lacking a dictionary, we offer up this definition: "an alteration of variation in fortune."
GAME 5 -- Northwestern (3-1) at N.C. State (2-0)
ACC/Big Ten Challenge
Date/Time: Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2002/7:30 p.m. EST
Site RBC Center (Raleigh, N.C.)
Capacity: 19,722
Television: ESPN2 (Dave O'Brien, play-by-play; Brad Daugherty, analyst)
Radio: WGN 720 AM (Dave Eanet, play-by-play; Shon Morris, analyst)
(also on wgnradio.com)
