Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Welcome Tigers To Welsh-Ryan Arena
12/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2006
EVANSTON, Ill.-- After a week off for finals, Northwestern returns to the hardwood for a 2 p.m. showdown Sunday against Missouri. After Sunday's home game, the Wildcats hit the road for five out of the last six contests. Senior A.J. Glasauer (Freiburg, Germany) and Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) have led the 'Cats thus far this season, both averaging 13.8 ppg. Both were named to last weekend's Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational All-Tournament team.
Last Time Out...
Northwestern fell to Northern Illinois, 70-54, in the championship game of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational Saturday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Senior A.J. Glasauer and Sara Stutz scored in double-figures for the 'Cats.
Northwestern scored the first bucket of the game, but the Huskies jumped out to an early 10-point lead behind seven points from Stephanie Raymond. It seemed like the Wildcats could not buy a basket in the first half, shooting just 30 percent in the opening stanza.
NIU build a 21-8 advantage and kept piling on the points, connecting on six treys, including three from Raymond.
The Huskies led 36-18 at the half. Stutz led NU with seven nine points.
The Wildcats are no strangers to being down by a considerable amount in the first half, having mounted a courageous comeback against Mississippi a week ago after being down by double-digits. This time, however, Northern Illinois remained in control.
Northwestern closed to within 13, it's lowest differential of the half, at the 3:49 mark, but the Huskies burned some clock to close out the game.
Stutz finished with 13 points, four rebounds and four assists. Glasauer turned in a 15-point, five assist performance to pace NU. Freshman Kaitlin McInerney nearly hit double-figures with nine points and a team-leading six rebounds. Melissa Miller also grabbed six board and recorded eight points.
Stutz and Glasauer represented Northwestern on the 2006 Mildred and Roger L. White All-Tournament team. Shelly Bellman of Cincinnati, Stephanie Raymond and Whitney Lowe from NIU were also named to the All-Tournament team. Raymond was tabbed the MVP of the event.
The Series Against Missouri
Northwestern and Missouri have met only one time before today's contest. Last season, the Tigers bested NU, 87-64, at Mizzou Arena. After a sub-par first-half performance, the 'Cats sprung to life and out-scored the Tigers 43-41 in the second stanza. A.J. Glasauer and Ifeoma Okonkwo scored a team-high 16 points, while Nadia Bibbs added 13 points. Okonkwo used 11 rebounds to notch the double-double.
Scouting the Tigers
Missouri enters today's game with a perfect mark, save a 75-60 loss at Stanford. Four Tigers are averaging in double-figures--Tiffany Brooks (14.2), EeTisha Riddle (14.0), Alyssa Hollins (13.0) and Carlynn Savant (11.7). Savant leads all rebounding efforts, pulling down 8.3 rpg, followed by Riddle with 7.6. In Wednesday's 70-67 victory against Ohio, Riddle poured in a game-high 22 points, while Blair Hardiek and Brooks joined her in double figures with 11 and 13 points, respectively.
'Cat Nips
Off to a Good Start
The last time Northwestern started the season with a 6-2 mark was in the 1996-97 campaign when the Wildcats went 17-11 overall with a 9-7 mark in Big Ten action. The Wildcats' 67-53 victory over Princeton put the season win total at six, matching last year's win-total for the entire season.
Bring it On
The Wildcats are outscoring their opponents by an average margin of 12.6 points, good for sixth in the conference. NU is averaging 66.5 points per contest, while only surrendering 51.9 ppg to its opponents.
Stutz Steps It Up
Junior Sara Stutz has been the Wildcats' sparkplug so far this season. The Glenview, Ill. native is tied with A.J. Glasauer as the team's top scorer, averaging 13.8 points per game. In her career-setting performance against Loyola (Ill.) on Nov. 12, Stutz scored 22 of her 26 points in the second half, providing the spark that propelled NU to victory. Versus Mississippi, she scored 11 of her game-high 16 points in the second stanza. Additionally, Stutz has scored in double-figures in seven out of the last eight games.
Glasauer Leading the Way
Senior captain A.J. Glasauer has been the Wildcats' leading scorer in four out of NU's first eight contests. She is averaging a team-best 13.8 points per game, while dishing out a team-best 34 assists. The Freiburg, Germany native is shooting 40 percent from the field, including a team-best 12-of-26 (46 percent) from beyond the arc. Glasauer is also connecting at the charity stripe, knocking down 16-of-21 free throws. She also leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio with 4.25 (eight turnovers compared to 34 assists).
Coming out of the Blocks
Freshman Kaitlin McInerney has made a statement early in her career, shooting a team-best 65 percent (31-of-48) from the field while also pulling down 6.8 rpg. McInerney is tops in the Big Ten in FG percentage (3rd) and in blocked shots (1.38; 9th). The Oak Brook native has pulled down a Wildcat-high 54 rebounds, ironically enough, the same number on her jersey.
