Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Set to Host Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational
12/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2002
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational Release in PDF format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
NORTHWESTERN (1-3, 0-0)
vs. Yale (1-3, 0-0)
Date/Time: Fri.-Sat., Dec. 6-7, 2002
Site: Evanston, Ill./Northwestern University
Arena/Capacity :Welsh-Ryan Arena/8,117
Series:
vs. Yale-NU leads 1-0
vs. Central Michigan-NU leads 1-0
vs. Alabama-Birmingham-first meeting
Radio/TV :WNUR 89.3 FM/none
nternet :www.wnur.org
Tourney Time
For the second straight week the Northwestern women's basketball team is playing in a tournament. This time, however, the 'Cats gear up to host the 19th Annual Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational. The tourney dates to 1984, with NU winning nine of the 18 titles. Other winners include St. Bonaventure, Louisville, Houston, Nebraska, Stanford, James Madison, Old Dominion, Miami (Ohio) and UNLV.
In those 18 years, the Wildcats have posted a 27-9 record and have never lost more than one game in any tournament. This year's field includes Alabama-Birmingham (UAB), Central Michigan (CMU) and Yale.
Only CMU (3-1) comes to Evanston with a winning record as NU, UAB and Yale all have identical 1-3 records. The Wildcats and Bulldogs get things started at 6 p.m., while UAB and CMU start at 8 p.m.
NU has not fared well at the Mildred & Roger L. White Invitational in recent years. While holding the most tournament titles (nine), the Wildcats have not seen the top of the podium since 1998. That year, former head coach Don Perrelli's squad defeated Ohio University (94-59) and Western Kentucky (65-59) for the title.
While they haven't won a title in three years, NU has not lost an opening-round contest since a 61-51 loss to Louisville in 1987. That a string of 14 straight years.
With an opening-round win streak on the line, the Wildcats will face Yale for the second time in team history. Coincidentally, the first time the two teams faced each other was in the first round of this very same tournament in 1992. NU won the game 73-56.
As a matter of fact, the Wildcats have faced the three other teams in this tournament only two times, the before mentioned Yale game and a 75-60 win over Central Michigan during the 1976-77 season. NU has never competed against Alabama-Birmingham.
Wildcat Quickies
* Leslie Dolland was voted team captain.
* Eleven of the 14 players on the roster hail from different states.
* Three of NU's four coaches have head-coaching experience.
-Olkowski at Arizona and Northwestern
-Darling at the Air Force Academy
-Grennan at St. Joseph's (Pa.)
* Natalie Will has a team-leading 13 assists.
* The team ranks fourth in the Big Ten in free-throw percentage
(44-for-57, .772)
* Suzanne Morrison and Samantha McComb hail from a state in
which one of the competing teams is based (Michigan).
Mildred & Roger L. White
Formally known as the the Roger L. White Invitational, the 2003 tournament was renamed after the unfortunate passing of Mildred White this past year. Through the White's generosity, they have endowed numerous scholarships in the past 18 years.
Accepting Charity
Now that the holidays are here, the Wildcats' last two opponents have been very giving. In NU's last two games, the team has shot a combined 47 free throws. Of those 47 attempts, NU has converted 40 and is currently fourth in the Big Ten in free throw percentage (.772). By comparison, NU went to the line only 10 times in its first two games, making four.
Where There is a 'Will,' There is a Way
Senior forward Natalie Will leads the team with 13 assists through the first four games of the season. That fact is not suprising after leading the team in assist-to-turnover ratio last year. Her 1.19 ratio was also 10th best in the Big Ten.
Welcome 'Back'us
Yale head coach Amy Backus is back on the NU sideline for the first time since 1998 when she served as a Wildcat assistant under then-head coach Don Perrelli. Backus was at NU between 1995-98.
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 last weekend in Piscataway, N.J. Culver, a point guard, averaged 10 points per game while pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists. Kwasinski, a center, aveaged 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.
Olkowski at NU vs. the Ivy League
Since her hiring in 1999, head coach June Olkowski is 2-0 vs. the Ivy League. Both games took place in Welsh-Ryan Arena in past Mildred & Roger L. White Invitationals. Both games were first-round contests.
1999-00 W Princeton 55-38 2000-01 W (OT) Penn 77-71
Behind The Arc
In four games this year, sophomore Samantha McComb has hit seven of her 19 three-point attempts. Hitting 37 percent of her long-range shots is good enough to place McComb ninth on the Big Ten's three-point field goal percentage list. Jenna Armstron from Iowa is atop the statistical category, hitting 11-of-22 attempts (.500).
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 15.8 minutes in the first four games. After sitting out the mandatory one year-due to NCAA transfer rules-Kristin Ambrose has hit the hardwood running, averaging 33.5 minutes per game while chipping in 6.0 points per game.
Block Party
Northwestern sophomore Sarah Kwasinski tied for the Big Ten lead with 37 blocked shots in 2001-02. This season she has five swats in NU's first four games. Those five throw-backs leave her two blocks short of sixth place on the career blocked shots list. Mya Whitmore (61, 1988-91) is currently sixth, two ahead of Kwasinski's 59.
Double Figures
With 14 points against Rutgers last Sunday, Sarah Kwasinski extended her streak of double-digit scoring games to 11, a career high. Last season, the Chicago native produced 21 double-digit games, and eclipsed the 20-point mark six times.
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.
