Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Host Indiana Sunday
2/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2005
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday afternoon to take on Indiana. Tip is slated for 2 p.m. CST. The Wildcats are coming off a 60-40 loss to Iowa on Thursday while Indiana enters the game after dropping a 76-45 road game to Penn State.
Senior Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) and junior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring Texas/Klein Oak) have led the Wildcats consistently throughout the season. Kwasinski is averaging 12.3 ppg (1st), 5.0 rpg (3rd) and has 35 blocks on the year (1st). Okonkwo ranks second in scoring (12.0 ppg), and rebounding (5.6 rpg) and steals(37).
Last Time Out
Northwestern hit just seven of 28 first-half shots and could not overcome its cold start Thursday night falling to Iowa, 60-40. Freshman Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) led NU with 10 points as the only Wildcat to reach double-figures.
Iowa reeled off the first 10 points of the game and never looked back, but it did not exactly run NU out of the gym, either.
Senior Suzanne Morrison (Franklin, Mich./Detroit Country Day) hit a layup at the 15:38 mark to give Northwestern its first points of the game.
The Hawkeyes extended their lead to 17 points (28-11) with 2:49 remaning. The Wildcats went on a mini-run to end the half, with Morrison hitting a pair of free throws, junior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) completing a layup and Stutz knocking down a jumper at the buzzer to cut the halftime advantage to 11 points, 28-17.
NU began the second half equally as cold and Iowa eventually built a 31-point lead with 6:43 remaining. At that point, sophomore Breanne Smilie (Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Fenwick) knocked down a 3-ball for her first points of the season.
The Wildcats finished the game on a 15-4 run to make the final, 60-40. NU shot 31 percent from the field compared to 41 percent for Iowa.
Looking Ahead
NU wraps-up the 2004-05 regular season with three of its last four games on the road. Northwestern travels to Illinois (Feb. 16), Penn State (Feb. 20), Wisconsin (Feb. 23) before hosting Minnesota on Feb. 27. The Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament, held at Conseco Field House in Indianapolis, Ind., begins on Thursday, March 3 and runs through Monday, March 7 (Please see page 7 for more information).
The Series
All-Time Record: Northwestern leads, 28-24
Last Meeting: 53-42, Indiana (Jan. 13, 2005)
Series Streak: 1, Indiana
