Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Begin Three-Game Homestand vs. DePauw Friday
12/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2005
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The Game
The Wildcats will face one last opponent before the Christmas holiday when they take on the DePauw Tigers Friday night at 7 p.m., the first of a three-game homestand.
The 'Cats recorded a big road win with a 44-42 win at Seton Hall last Sunday on Mohamed Hachad's game-winning layup with 3.3 seconds left. Vedran Vukusic added 18 on his 23rd birthday. The Wildcats trailed by as much as 11 early but fought back and won the game thanks to two big buckets by Vukusic and Hachad in the final minute.
DePauw, a member of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference, enters Friday's game with a 4-5 record and a 1-1 mark in the SCAC. They are coming off a 90-87 overtime loss Wednesday night vs. Earlham College at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.
Northwestern defeated DePauw last season, 69-58, in an exhibition contest. The all-time series is tied 2-2. NU and DePauw last met in a regular season game in 1945, a 67-36 NU victory in Evanston.
About The Tigers
DePauw is 4-5 on the season and is coming off a 90-87 overtime loss vs. Earlham at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis Wednesday night. They are led offensively by Stephen Schott and Alex Stewart who are averaging 18.2 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. Schott also leads the team with 9.2 rebounds per game.
DePauw head coach Bill Fenlon lettered for the Wildcats all four years from 1975-79. He played his first three years under head coach Tex Winter before Rich Falk's first season in 1978-79.
Junior guard Austin Brown hails from right here in Evanston. He was the co-MVP at Evanston Township while recording 14.7 points, 6.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game. Brown averages 7.1 points and just under four rebounds for the Tigers.
The Series
Northwestern defeated DePauw last season, 69-58, in an exhibition contest. The all-time series is tied 2-2. NU and DePauw last met in a regular season game in 1945, a 67-36 NU victory in Evanston.
Tiger Head Coach Bill Fenlon
Bill Fenlon, who played for the Wildcats from 1975-79, is in his 14th season as head coach at DePauw and his 21st on the collegiate level. He is also a part-time assistant professor of kinesiology. The winningest coach in DePauw history, Fenlon's DePauw teams have posted a 217-127 record. Last season Fenlon led the Tigers to a third straight appearance in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament and a tie for fifth in the conference standings.
A Look at the 'Cats
Senior Vedran Vukusic has been lighting it up offensively for the Wildcats this season. The senior from Croatia leads the Big Ten and ranks 11th nationally in scoring with 22.9 points per game. Vukusic has accounted for over 40 percent of Northwestern's offense this season and has scored 20 or more points in seven of nine games, including a season-high 28 in the win over Charlotte at the BCA Invitational. On the season, Vukusic is shooting 53 percent from the field, 78 percent from the line and leads the conference with an average of 38.5 minutes per game.
No Wildcat has done a better job at finding the open man this season than junior Tim Doyle. The Merrick, N.Y. native is averaging a team-best 5.0 assists, currently ranking him seventh in the Big Ten, to go along with 9.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Doyle had a career-best seven assists against UIC Wednesday and is shooting 78 percent (21-of-27) from the free throw line.
True freshman Craig Moore has become a regular in the starting lineup. He has emerged of late to score 34 points (5.7) over the last six games. He had nine points in 23 minutes in the win over FAU and sank three treys in the loss to DePaul, playing 33 minutes and all 20 in the second half. More importantly, he has impressed many with his ball-handling and decision making with 17 assists and just three turnovers in the last six games.
Senior Mohamed Hachad appears to have broken out of a scoring slump with 39 points (13.0) in his last three games after recording just 14 in the previous three. Hachad broke out in a big way in the win over Delaware State, scoring a season-high 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting, added 12 second half points against UIC and had 10 in the win at Seton Hall. He has cleaned up on the glass, averaging a team-best 5.3 rebounds per game, including nine in the win over Charlotte, tying his personal best. He is averaging 9.0 points per game and leads the team with 15 steals, ranking him sixth in the Big Ten.
Junior Vince Scott has given NU a nice lift off the bench with 4.7 points and 4.7 rebounds. He tied a career-high with nine boards in the win at Seton Hall to compliment four assists, two blocks and one steal.
Michael Jenkins has picked up his play of late and has provided the Wildcats a nice spark off the bench. The walk-on senior from Pasadena, Calif. has recorded eight points, eight assists, four steals and 10 rebounds over the last four games.
Redshirt freshman Sterling Williams has improved each game and has nine points, four steals and five rebounds in his last two games.
Hachad's Layup Helps Wildcats Steal Big Road Victory
Mohamed Hachad connected on a backdoor layup with 3.3 seconds left, giving Northwestern a 44-42 victory over Seton Hall Sunday.
Vedran Vukusic, celebrating his 23rd birthday, scored 18 points, including a go-ahead 3-pointer with 50 seconds remaining that briefly gave Northwestern a 42-39 lead. Stan Gaines then tied the game for the Pirates 20 seconds later with a 3-pointer of his own, setting up Hachad's game-winning shot.
Seton Hall shot 23 percent (12-of-51) and connected on just 5-of-30 shots in the second half. Seton Hall also had 20 turnovers. Northwestern's defense recorded a season-high 14 steals, including three each from Michael Jenkins and Sterling Williams off the bench. Hachad had two steals and deflected several passes out on the perimeter, disrupting Seton Hall's offense all afternoon.
Noting the Win At Seton Hall
Vukusic Approaches Top 10 Scorers
Vedran Vukusic is currently 12th among the all-time scoring leaders at Northwestern with 1,254 points. At his current scoring rate of 22.9 ppg, he is on pace to finish third among the all-time scoring greats in Wildcat history behind Billy McKinney (1,900 points; 1973-77) and Evan Eschmeyer (1,805 points; 1995-99).
Streaker
In addition to leading the team in scoring through the first nine games of the season, Vedran Vukusic also is on pace to break the modern record of consecutive games leading the team in scoring. Evan Eschmeyer led the Wildcats in scoring 11-straight games during the middle of the 1998-99 season and is the longest streak in the past 35 years of Wildcat basketball.
Wildcats in the Big Ten (as of Dec. 22)
Vedran Vukusic
Home Cookin'
In the last four-plus years the Wildcats have recorded a 44-18 (.710) overall record at Welsh-Ryan Arena, including a 19-13 mark in Big Ten play.
Magin No. 60
Northwestern is 4-1 this season when they score at least 60 points and have held seven of their nine opponents below 60, including a season-low 42 to Seton Hall on the road. The 57.7 points per game is good for third in the Big Ten in scoring defense.
Michigan State, Illinois Single-Game Tickets Sold Out!
The Northwestern Athletics Ticket Office today announced that single game tickets to the men's basketball games vs. Michigan State and Illinois are sold out! The best way only way to secure a seat to these games is by purchasing a New Year's High Five Pack, which includes the Michigan State game on Feb. 4, or the Weekend High Five Pack that includes the Jan. 21 game against Illinois.The packages include five games for just $80! You can purchase the packages by calling the athletics ticket office at 847-491-CATS or online at www.nusports.com.
Next Up
Northwestern will ring in the new year against Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
