Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Visit West Lafayette on Sunday
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2006
Purdue Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- After garnering its first conference win of the season, the Wildcats now turn their attention to the next task at hand - the eighth-ranked and Big Ten leader Purdue.
"Playing at Purdue is a great opportunity," head coach Beth Combs said. "We are coming off a big win and playing in that environment -- against the No.1 team in a packed house -- is what this game is all about!"
Last Time Out
All season, head coach Beth Combs has emphasized the importance of playing a full 40 minutes of basketball. Thursday night against Michigan, the Wildcats did just that en route to a commanding 77-57 victory at Crisler Arena.
As a team, the Wildcats hit an impressive 94.7 percent (18-of-19) from the charity stripe, the best team performance in Wildcat history. Senior Ifeoma Okonkwo etched her name in the NU record books for the second time this season, hitting 13-of-14 (92 percent) free throws. Okonkwo's performance ties her for fifth on the single-game free-throws made list and ties her for eighth on the single-game free-throw percentage list.
Okonkwo led the 'Cats (5-14, 1-8) with 29 points and seven rebounds. Three other Wildcats joined the Spring, Texas native in double-figures. Freshman Kristin Cartwright added 10 points and a game-high eight assists while A.J. Glasauer and Nadia Bibbs added 10 and 12 points respectively. Sophomore Melissa Miller pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds.
Both teams jumped out of the blocks to open the game, matching eachother's baskets until Northwestern went on a 10-4 run in the heart of the first half. Michigan answered with an 11-0 spurt, aided by three treys, to take a 24-22 lead with five minutes remaining.
Okonkwo then took the game over for NU, exploding for 10 points over the next five minutes. The Wildcats closed out the half on a 14-5 run, pushing the score to 36-32 at the break.
Okonkwo parlayed 12-of-12 free throws to 20 points in the opening half.
Northwestern continued its hot shooting and aggressive play in the second half, going on a 16-6 spurt to open the stanza.
The Wildcats never let up, inflating the lead to as many as 26 with under five minutes remaining in the game.
NU topped the Wolverines in nearly every aspect of the game, dominating on the boards, 34-28, collecting 12 steals while committing only nine turnovers, and shooting nearly 50 percent from the field (29-of-60).
The Series
Purdue leads the all-time series between these two teams, 33-17. The last time Northwestern and Purdue met, the Boilers barely pulled out a 68-65 victory in Evanston. Of the returning NU starters, Sara Stutz recorded 10 points. Ifeoma Okonkwo led the Wildcats on the glass, pulling down six rebounds. br>
Scouting Purdue
The Boilermakers (16-2, 8-0) are on a 12-game overall win streak, including a perfect 8-0 in conference action. Purdue is coming off perhaps its most impressive win so far this season, a 73-53 victory against No. 16 Michigan State on Thursday night. Junior Katie Geralds led the Boilers with 23 points, bumping her average to a team-best 14.3 ppg. Senior Aya Traore is also averaging in double-figures with 12.5 ppg.
Pick Pockets
In conference games, Northwestern ranks second in steals (9.75 per game). The 'Cats are led by Ifeoma Okonkwo, who is averaging 2.00 steals per league contest. For complete notes, see the .pdf at the top of this page.
