Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Open Conference Curtain At Wisconsin
12/26/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 26, 2006
Wisconsin Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- After matching last season's win total in this year's nonconference campaign alone, the Wildcats are ready to raise the curtain on the Big Ten portion of the schedule. Northwestern travels to Wisconsin for a 7 p.m. showdown at the Kohl Center in this year's conference-opening weekend of play.
Last Time Out...
Northwestern went neck-and-neck with last year's Elite Eight squad, but Utah pulled away in the final minutes en route to a 80-69 victory Wednesday afternoon at the Huntsman Center. Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) contributed a career-and team-high 16 points while also pulling down eight boards. The Wildcats conclude the nonconference season with a 6-7 record.
Northwestern hit the first bucket of the game and forced a 30 second shot-clock violation, seizing momentum early. The Utes chimed in soon after, as 12 of the first 17 points of the game came from long range.
The Wildcats' pressed for the first time this season, resulting in five Utah turnovers in the first nine minutes. But the Utes re-grouped and posted a 10-4 run to take a 26-19 lead with 6:49 left in the first half. A 3-pointer by freshman Beth Marshall (Fishers, Ind./Hamilton Southeastern) cut the Ute lead to a pair with 2:13 remaining.
Utah led 35-32 at the break, thanks to a 48 percent effort from the field. Miller kept NU in the game, scoring 12 of her 16 points in the opening stanza while Northwestern's stingy defense forced nine Ute turnovers. The 'Cats went 3-of-7 from beyond the arc.
The second-half saw the score yo-yo back and forth four times. On the game, there were seven ties and 13 lead changes. Northwestern reclaimed the lead, 40-39, with 15:11 left in the game, and the two squads battled back and forth from there.
A free-throw by Utah's Marie Warner with 4:18 remaining gave the Utes a one-point lead and propelled the home team to outscore NU 14-6 over the next three-plus minutes. Utah hit 7-of-9 free throws down the stretch to seal the victory.
Senior A.J. Glasauer (Freiburg, Germany/Theodor-Heuss Gymnasium) poured in a team-high 16 points--her 11th double-digit effort of the season. The captain hit 11-of-14 from the charity stripe, the second-most free throws made by any Big Ten player so far this season.
Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) joined Glasauer and Miller in double-figures with 13 points, including three treys.
NU out-shot Utah from beyond the arc, knocking down 41 percent of its looks, while also shooting 42.3 percent from the field; the same as the Utes.
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin completed the nonconference season with an impressive 11-2 mark, including a perfect 11-0 record at the friendly confines of the Kohl Center. The Badgers feature two players posting double-figures in Jolene Anderson (17.5) and Janese Banks (14.8). Anderson also leads the team in rebounding, with 8.1 rpg, followed by Danielle Ward with 6.2 rpg.
The Series with Wisconsin
This will be the 52nd time these two teams have met, with Northwestern holding a 28-23 advantage. Last season, the two border rivals split the two showdowns, each team winning on its respective home court. The Wildcats defeated the Badgers most recently, claiming a 58-56 victory on Feb. 5 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Score Early and Often
Northwestern is 6-1 on the year when tied or leading at the half. When scoring 60 points or more, the Wildcats are 5-3.
Off to a Good Start
The Wildcats' 67-53 victory over Princeton put the season win total at six, matching last year's win total for the entire season.
Setting an Example
Northwestern's upperclassmen have led the 'Cats in scoring in 12 of 13 games so far this season. Senior captain A.J. Glasauer has led NU in scoring seven times, while junior Sara Stutz has been the top scorer four times. Fellow classmate Melissa Miller has topped the scoring column twice.
On the Big Stage
Northwestern ranks 19th in the nation in FG percentage defense and in assists, according to the most recent NCAA statistics (through Dec. 10). The Wildcats also rank in the top 60 (out of 324 Div. I teams) in scoring defense (42nd), rebound margin (52nd) and blocked shots per game (57th).
Glasauer Leading the Way
Senior captain A.J. Glasauer has been the Wildcats' leading scorer in seven out of NU's first 13 contests. She is averaging a team-best 14.0 points per game, while dishing out a team-high 44 assists. The Freiburg, Germany native is shooting 40 percent from the field, including a team-best 17-of-40 (42 percent) from beyond the arc. Glasauer is also connecting at the charity stripe, knocking down 41-of-54 (76 percent) free throws. She also is third in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 1.83 (24 turnovers compared to 44 assists).
Coming out of the Blocks
Freshman Kaitlin McInerney has made a statement early in her career, shooting a team-best 61 percent (46-of-76) from the field while also pulling down 6.4 rpg. She recorded the first double-double of her career on Dec. 16 against Nebraska, recording 10 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. McInerney is second in the Big Ten in FG percentage and 13th in blocked shots. The Oak Brook native has pulled down 83 rebounds, second only to Melissa Miller (99).
Conference Call
The Wildcats are atop the Big Ten standings in several statistical categories. NU is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.01), third in assists (17.46) and defensive rebounds. The Wildcats are fourth in 3-point FG made (4.69) and fifth in FG percentage defense (.364), 3-point FG percentage defense (.287), rebounding offense (39.2) and blocked shots (4.31). For a full rundown of all conference categories, please see page 4 of this release.
Miller Time
Junior Melissa Miller poured in a career-high 16 points against Utah on Dec. 20. Miller dumped in 13 points and 13 rebounds against Illinois-Chicago on Nov. 29, marking Northwestern's first double-double of the season. Miller followed that performance with a 10-point, 12-rebound encore against Princeton in the first game of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational. The junior is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 7.6 rpg while also chipping in 6.6 ppg.
