Northwestern University Athletics
Two Wildcat Teams Square Off
11/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2003
Kentucky Game Notes
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After opening their season with a 59-41 win over Creighton on Friday, the Wildcats (1-0 overall) look to continue their strong play heading into Sunday's match against Kentucky in Lexington, Ky.
Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) put the 'Cats on the right foot in their season opener, notching a game-high 16 points off 6-of-9 shooting, while also grabbing seven rebounds and dishing three assists.
"We handled (Creighton's) pressure in the first half and got easy buckets," said head coach June Olkowski. "Sarah established our inside presence, and we got some easy buckets there."
Other Wildcats that had a great opening performance include Melissa Culver (Littleton, Colo./Heritage), who scored 11 points, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and had five rebounds. Meanwhile, Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) and Alex Mueller (Nordlingen, Germany/Theodor-Heuss-Gymnasium) racked up nine points apiece.
Kentucky (1-0), which has the same mascot as NU, won its home opener 79-59 over IUPUFW. Senior center SeSe Helm picked up her ninth career double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) to help Mickie DeMoss earn her first win as head coach of Kentucky.
"SeSe Helm has a world of talent," said DeMoss. "With her, it's just a matter of coming out and playing hard. I thought she played well and I have a better feel for what the team can do. I tried to focus on our execution and things that we needed to improve."
Other Wildcats in double figures were Sara Potts and Jenny Pfieffer, who scored 15 points and13 points, respectively. The two also combined for nine rebounds and four assists.
Sunday's game, which is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. (EST) at Memorial Coliseum, will mark just the second time the two teams have faced each other. On Dec. 2, 1995, NU routed Kentucky 78-42 in Evanston to take a 1-0 series lead.
