Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Faces Minnesota in Final Regular-Season Contest
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2006
Minnesota Game Notes
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EVANSTON, Ill. -- After a solid performance at Penn State, the Wildcats wrap up the regular season on the road with a 2 p.m. tip against Minnesota Sunday afternoon. Northwestern, which will be the 10th seed in the conference tournament, travels to Indianapolis next Wednesday, March 1 to face the No. 7 seed, which will be either Penn State or Illinois.
"Playing at Minnesota for Senior Day will be tough, but anything can happen in this league and we are looking forward to seeing what we can bring on the road." said head coach Beth Combs.
Last Time Out
Senior Ifeoma Okonkwo dumped in 27 points but it wasn't enough as Penn State edged Northwestern, 72-64, in an exciting contest Thursday evening at the Bryce-Jordan Center.
Both teams seemed to show effects of having a week off leading up to the game, as neither squad scored until Okonkwo hit a layup at the 17:01 mark to break the scoreless stretch.
The score was tight in the early going and just when it looked like Penn State was about to pull away, NU knocked down a spurt-stopping shot. Junior A.J. Glasauer hit two big three pointers to suffocate early runs by the Lady Lions, including cutting a six-point deficit in half at the 7:57 mark.
The Wildcats sent Penn State to the free-throw line 19 times in the first half, boosting the Lady Lions to a 37-28 advantage at the break. Okonkwo led all scorers with 10 points in the first stanza.
NU jumped out to a 5-0 run in the opening minute to pull to within 37-33 and kept battling despite being plagued by foul trouble. The 'Cats used a solid 14-4 run in the heart of the second stanza, highlighted by eight-straight points from Okonkwo to take a 52-51 lead with 8:56 remaining.
The senior single-handedly kept Northwestern in the game, scoring 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half.
In a game that saw 11 lead changes, PSU went on an 18-12 run over the next eight minutes to take the lead and hit free throws in the final minute to hold on to the win.
Northwestern was 28-of-64 from the field, good for nearly 44 percent compared to the Lady Lions' 40 percent. The difference in the game came at the charity stripe, where PSU was awarded 38 free throws -- the most NU has allowed all season - compared to the Wildcats' five.
NU also won the battle in the paint, outscoring the Lady Lions 32-30 down low.
In addition to her 27 points, Okonkwo finished with a season-high four blocks, five assists and four steals. She was 12-of-24 from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line.
Sophomore Sara Stutz pulled down six rebounds to lead NU on the boards. She also chipped in nine points while playing 38 minutes.
Bibbs and Stutz both chipped in eight points. Kristin Cartwright led NU with five rebounds.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers snapped a four-game losing streak on Thursday with a 65-58 win at home against Indiana. The 21st-ranked Gophers are fourth in the conference with a 10-5 record. They are led by Jamie Broback, the conference's 10th-leading scorer (14.6 points). She also leads the team in rebounding with 7.0 rpg. Natasha Williams, Liz Podominick and Kelly Roysland are all averaging 8.3 points per game.
The Series
Sunday's game is the 51th time these two teams have met. Northwestern leads the all-time series, 29-21, but Minnesota has won the last 11 contests, including a 69-54 decision back in December. The game was the conference-opener for both squads and was played at Loyola-Chicago as part of a Chicagoland double-header. The 'Cats played Minnesota tough in the first half before the Gophers' depth and experience took over. A.J. Glasauer, Nadia Bibbs and Ifeoma Okonkwo scored in double-figures for the 'Cats. Glasauer led NU with 16 points and five assists, with 10 of her points coming in the first half. Bibbs tallied 11 points and added four dishes to her team-leading assist total, of 58. Bibbs also had four takeaways. Okonkwo recorded her third-consecutive double-figure performance chipping in 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
