Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Welcome Ramblers To Welsh-Ryan For Home Opener
11/22/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a valiant road effort Wednesday against Georgia Tech, Northwestern returns to Evanston for its home opener Sunday against Chicagoland foe Loyola. The Wildcats welcome the opportunity to settle into the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena after playing their first five contests on the road. Eight of the Wildcats' next nine games will be played in Evanston, including the next five. NU enters the showdown with Loyola with a 1-4 mark, while the Ramblers have posted a record of 1-3 thus far.
Redshirt junior Ellen Jaeschke was the story for the 'Cats offensively against Georgia Tech, pouring in a career-and game-high 24 points and pulling down 14 rebounds. The 6-foot-3 center added three assists and three blocks to complement her 59 percent shooting effort from the field.
Scouting the Ramblers
Loyola enters Sunday's contest on a three-game losing streak, most recently dropping a 55-53 heartbreaker to Chicago State on Tuesday. The Ramblers opened the season with a solid 67-52 victory against Robert Morris before dropping the next two contests to Marquette and Dayton, two teams who also play the Wildcats. Northwestern defeated the Flyers in the season-opener and will face Marquette on Dec. 17. Three Ramblers are averaging double-figures in Elyse VanBogaert (13.0), Maggie McCloskey (12.3) and Keisha Collins (10.0). McCloskey is a threat from beyond the arc, shooting 54 percent from downtown. Freshman Brittany Boeke leads Loyola on the boards, pulling down 7.0 rpg.
The Series Against Loyola (Chicago)
The Wildcats enter Sunday's game against Loyola with the odds in their favor. Northwestern never has lost a contest to the Ramblers in the 18 times the two teams have met. Last season, the 'Cats pulled out a 78-60 victory at the Gentile Center. Sara Stutz exploded for a game-high 26 points while Nadia Bibbs and A.J. Glasauer also hit double-figures, adding 16 and 13 points, respectively. Melissa Miller led NU on the boards, pulling down 11 rebounds.
Last Time Out...
Ellen Jaeschke turned in a career-best performance, leading the 'Cats with a game-high 24 points and 14 rebounds, but Georgia Tech proved why they are worthy of votes in both top-25 polls, outlasting Northwestern, 55-46, Wednesday evening at Atlanta Memorial Coliseum.
Throughout the first half, the game remained tight, but not pretty on the offensive side. The two teams combined to go 17-of-54 (31 percent) from the field while turning the ball over on 22 occasions. Jaeschke spearheaded the Wildcats' offensive attack, notching eight points on 3-of-5 from the field to accompany eight rebounds. Northwestern's defense caused 10 Tech turnovers but the Yellow Jackets held a narrow 24-20 lead at the break.
Jaeschke opened the second frame with a three-point conversion to put NU within one. And less than a minute later, a bucket by Kaitlin McInerney (Oak Brook, Ill./Benet), gave the Wildcats a one-point advantage four minutes into the half. Overall, there were 10 lead changes and six ties.
An Eckhart trifecta with a little over 2:00 remaining pulled the score to 49-42. But following suit, Georgia Tech responded. Two buckets by Jaeschke would pull the score to within six on two occasions, but the Yellow Jackets converted on four-of-seven free throws and made buckets when they counted over the next two minutes to secure the victory.
Jaeschke finished the evening 13-of17 from the field and a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe. Nadia Bibbs (Chicago, Ill./Hillcrest) dished out a season-best seven assists and Eckhart chipped in eight points, including two key treys. Northwestern held a slight edge over the Ramblin' Wreck in field goal percentage and second-chance points, but held a commanding 24-14 lead in points in the paint.
'Cat Nips
"El-evating" Her Game
Junior transfer Ellen Jaeschke has established herself as a force down low, averaging a team-high 12.8 ppg and 7.2 rpg. Wednesday against Georgia Tech, Jaeschke put the team on her shoulders, scoring a career-and game-high 24 points while also pulling down 14 boards in 35 minutes. Prior to that big game, Jaeschke burst on the scene with 19 points and 13 rebounds in the Wildcats' three-point loss to Western Michigan in the second game of the season. Additionally, the Cary, Ill., native swatted 10 blocks in the first three games of the season, including five against the Broncos. She now has 14 rejections on the year and currently ranks third in the Big Ten, averaging 2.75 blocks per outing.
Crashing The Party
The addition of six new faces (four freshmen, two transfers) to the program this season brings added height--something the Wildcats have been short on in the past. So far this season, Northwestern has out-rebounded its opponents on three occasions and was edged narrowly by four boards last time out against Georgia Tech. As expected, center Ellen Jaeschke and forward Kaitlin McInerney lead the way with 7.2 rebounds per game. Surprisingly, Nadia Bibbs is third on the team with 6.2 hustle boards per outing. Bibbs also leads the Wildcats with 14 assists.
A Little Beat Up
As the 2007-08 season gets underway, five Wildcats have injuries which will prevent them from seeing game action in the near future. Julie Bielawski, Kristin Cartwright, Lakhiyia Hicks, Amy Jaeschke and Beth Marshall have all sustained injuries which will have an impact on their playing time. The following is an injury update on each student-athlete and the estimated timeline for their return to the floor.
• Junior Julie Bielawski--Aggravation of previous low back injury. Status is day-to-day.
• Sophomore Kristin Cartwright--Anticipated to redshirt the season due to ACL surgery this past summer.
• Sophomore Lakhiyia Hicks--Continuing rehab following left hip surgery. Status is day-to-day.
• Freshman Amy Jaeschke--Broken left hand suffered in first game of the season after scoring 19 points in 25 minutes. Expected to be out four-to-six weeks.
• Sophomore Beth Marshall--Left femoral stress fracture. Expected to be out four-to-six weeks.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
