Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Set to Face Chicagoland rival Illinois-Chicago
11/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
UIC Game Notes
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Nov. 24, 2005
Evanston, Ill. -- Northwestern hits the road again for the second game of a three-game road stint as the Wildcats take on Chicagoland rival Illinois-Chicago at 3 p.m. on Saturday. The Wildcats (1-1) are coming off an 87-64 loss at Missouri on Tuesday evening. Similarly, the Flames (1-2) lost to Central Michigan, 67-62, on Tuesday.
"We are looking forward to playing in Chicago," head coach Beth Combs said. "We finished the Mizzou game on a strong note. We know what mistakes were made early in that game and we are looking forward to getting back on the court quickly."
Recapping Missouri
Senior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Klein Texas/Spring Oak) and junior A.J. Glasauer (Frieiburg, Germany/Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium) both recorded a team-high 16 points. Okonkwo also was the Wildcats leading rebounder, pulling down 11 boards, the final piece for her fourth career double-double.
Sophomore floor general Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest/Boston University) joined Glasauer and Okonkwo in double figures with 13 points and added both a game-high six assists and six steals. Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) chipped in a career-high three blocks on the night.
Scouting Illinois-Chicago
The Flames enter Saturday's contest looking to push their record to .500 after losses against Bradley and Central Michigan. Illinois-Chicago's lone victory of the young season came in its home opener against Alabama State. UIC is led by three upperclassmen, junior LaShonda Grant and senior Chrissy Dizon, two preseason All-Horizon League honorees and junior Krystal Hugeller. Grant is averaging 13.0 ppg., while Dizon has recorded 22 assists through the first three games and is averaging 14.0 ppg. Hugeller is UIC's leading scorer, averaging 15.3 ppg. The Flames have played two of their last three games at the UIC Pavilion and are in the middle of a four-game homestand.
Series Information
This will be the 20th meeting between the two Chicagoland squads, with Northwestern holding a 14-5 advantage over the Flames. Last time out, UIC bested NU, 71-64, in Evanston. In that contest, senior Ifeoma Okonkwo was the game's leading scorer, recording points in just 24 minutes. Melissa Miller pulled down a career-and game-high 15 rebounds.
Wildcats vs. the Horizon League
The `Cats are 38-9 against Horizon League teams. Northwestern is a perfect 17-0 against Loyola-Chicago and 3-2 versus UW-Milwaukee, a squad the Cats will face later this season. NU is 4-2 versus Detroit and 14-5 against UIC.
