Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats To Play First Of Three On The Road
2/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 17, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill. - After spending the last week at home, Northwestern returns to the road, playing the first of three road games to end the Big Ten regular season. The 'Cats visit Ohio State on Thursday, hoping to avenge the Jan. 11 77-35 loss at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
NU is coming off a split last week, beating Indiana 48-36 and falling to No. 5 Purdue 80-45. Junior Samantha McComb averaged 12.5 ppg in that stretch to lead the Wildcats, including a 16-point game vs. the Boilermakers. She grabbed a season-high seven boards vs. Indiana. For her efforts, McComb was named Northwestern's Hilton Garden Inn Athlete of the Week.
McComb is leading the 'Cats in overall scoring, averaging 10.9 ppg. Ifeoma Okonkwo is second in scoring with 9.5 ppg and first in rebounds with 6.1 per game. The sophomore led NU in that category on Sunday with a game-high nine boards.
Northwestern continues to rank in the top two in the Big Ten with 3-point FG made per game. Overall the 'Cats are first with 6.00 threes per game and second in conference play, averaging 6.15 per contest. Alex Mueller is fourth among league players in that same category with 2.00 threes per game, while Melissa Culver (1.46 pg) and Michelle Zylstra (1.38 pg) come in 12th and 13th, respectively.
A Look at the Buckeyes
Ohio State women's basketball player Caity Matter was named the Big Ten Player of the Week Monday. A junior guard from Bluffton, Ohio, Matter averaged 25.5 points and 5.5 rebounds in the Buckeyes' two upsets over ranked teams last week. She shot a combined 18-of-26 (.692) from the field, 10-of-15 (.667) from 3-point land and 5-of-6 (.833) from the free-throw line. This is the first Big Ten Player of the Week award for a Buckeye player this season and the second such honor for Matter during her Ohio State career.
The Buckeyes are 15-8 overall and 7-5 in league play. (OSU Sports Information)
A Look Ahead
NU closes out the regular season with two more on the road-Minnesota on Feb. 22 and Michigan on Feb. 26. The Big Ten tournament will be held from March 4-8 in Indianapolis.
