Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Closes Home Stand Against Illinois
1/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2005
NU Game Notes vs. Illinois in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In just her third Big Ten game since taking over as Northwestern's head coach, Beth Combs notched her first conference victory Jan. 6 against Michigan. The Wildcats hope to continue their winning ways at 2 p.m. Sunday against Illinois in the final contest of a three-game home stand.
The 66-59 win against the Wolverines came just three contests into the Big Ten slate. It took 12 conference games to earn NU's initial Big Ten win of the season a year ago.
Against Michigan, seniors Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) and Samantha McComb (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) along with freshman Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) all paced the 'Cats with 15 points while junior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
McComb also registered a career-best five steals to help propel Northwestern to a season-high 16 thefts. Overall, the Wildcats forced 24 Wolverine turnovers while committing just 15 themselves. The plus-nine ratio was the best of the year for NU.
Kwasinski's last three points Thursday night came on a 3-pointer with under one minute to play and the shot clock expiring to put NU up by four points, 60-56. The trey was just the fifth of her career and her first since Feb. 15, 2004, against Purdue.
Okonkwo has come on strong as of late for Northwestern, stepping up to average a team-best 12.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game in the Wildcats' last six contests.
Illinois comes into Sunday after a week off from competition. The Illini last played on January 2, falling to then-undefeated Iowa, 72-58. Angelina Williams leads UI with 18.6 points per contest while Tiffanie Guthrie contributes 15.5 points per game.
Danyel Crutcher is tied with Northwestern's Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) for seventh place in the Big Ten in rebounding with 7.6 boards per outing.
Looking Ahead
Following the Wildcats three-game home stand, NU now hits the road for three consecutive contests. Jan. 13 Northwestern travels to Indiana followed by games at Iowa on Jan. 16 and Ohio State on Jan. 23.
The Series
All-Time Record: NU leads, 31-19
Last Meeting: 76-52, Illinois (Feb. 5, 2004)
Series Streak: 9, Illinois
