Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats To Shoot It Out in Puerto Rico
12/19/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2004
San Juan Shootout Game Notes in PDF Format
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- With sub-freezing temperatures and a forecast for snow on the horizon back home in Evanston, the Wildcats are looking for a little fun in the December sun at the San Juan Shootout in Carolina, Puerto Rico.
NU opens the three-day event with a 5 p.m. Central Time (7 p.m. Atlantic Time) game Monday, Dec. 20, against Northern Iowa (4-3). Also participating in the eight-team tournament are Charlotte (8-0), Florida State (6-0), Fordham (3-5), Toledo (2-5), Towson (5-2) and host UPR-Mayaguez (0-8).
The winner of NU's first contest will face the winner of the Charlotte vs. UPR-Mayaguez game.
Northwestern enters the game after already spending some time in a warm climate, falling Dec. 16 at Florida International, 68-55. In that game, senior Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) scored a career-high 28 points, her best effort since a 26-point outing against Iowa State as a freshman in 2001.
Also in that contest, junior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) pulled down 13 rebounds, including 10 in the first half. That marked the second time in their last two games that a Wildcat has grabbed ten boards in one half. Freshman Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) also accomplished the feat Dec. 14 against Illinois-Chicago.
Kwasinski leads the Wildcats in scoring with 12.2 points per game, overtaking classmate Suzanne Morrison (Franklin, Mich./Detroit Country Day). Morrison is pouring in 11.9 points per contest, but did not make the trip after suffering an injury against UW-Milwaukee on Dec. 12. Miller paces the cats with 7.6 boards per game.
Northern Iowa is also shorthanded after junior center Kim Hansen recently underwent surgery on her knee and is now done for the remainder of the season.
Cassie Hager is UNI's leading scorer with 15.7 points per game while Alex Cook and Emily Berry both average in double-figures as well. Cook leads the Panthers with 10.1 rebounds per game.
Northwestern Against The Field
The Wildcats never have faced any of the seven other schools in the 2004 San Juan Shootout.
Looking Ahead
Northwestern will start the Big Ten slate Dec. 30 at Minnesota in its final tilt of 2004. The Wildcats' first Big Ten home match takes place Jan. 2 against Wisconsin.
