Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Try to Maintain Winning Ways at Western Michigan
12/7/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2007
NU Game Notes vs. Western Michigan 
EVANSTON, Ill. -
Northwestern shoots for its third consecutive win Saturday afternoon as it travels to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face Western Michigan. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Central time at University Arena. The contest can be heard live on WGN Radio (720 AM) with Dave Eanet and Shon Morris on the call.
Live stats will also be available through Western Michigan's website.
Series History: Northwestern leads, 21-7. The Wildcats have won the last 10 meetings.
Last Meeting: Craig Moore scored a career-high 26 points as the Wildcats defeated the Broncos 77-75 in overtime Dec. 9, 2006 in Evanston.
Last Time Out
Northwestern used a whopping 34-4 run that spanned both halves and turned an 11-point deficit into a 19-point lead as it downed Arkansas State 88-68 Monday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Craig Moore had 20 points and five assists to lead five Northwestern players in double-figure scoring. Jason Okrzesik scored 16 points, Michael Thompson had 15 points and eight assists, Sterling Williams added 14 points and Nikola Baran had 12 for the Wildcats, who hit a school record 15 3-pointers in 24 attempts. Arkansas State opened the game on a 11-1 run, with Wedel knocking down three 3-pointers in the first 3:24 of the game. Northwestern closed the first half on a 13-2 streak of its own, including Moore's 3-pointer that tied the game at 34-34. Northwestern opened the second half with 15 straight points as part of a 21-2 surge to take a 55-36 lead on a three-point play by Okrzesik with 13:35 remaining. The Wildcats shot an impressive 67.4 percent (29-43) from the field for the contest, including 75 percent (18-24) in the second half.
A Record-Setting Performance
The Wildcats' victory over Arkansas State was an impressive display. The team's 15 made 3-pointers bested the previous school record of 14 set at Michigan Jan. 19, 2000 and again at home against Evansville Dec. 22, 2000. Craig Moore's six 3-point makes were one shy of the school individual single-game record. Northwestern's 54 second-half points were a new best in the eight-year Bill Carmody era. The previous best was 47 vs. Purdue Feb. 12, 2003. NU's field goal percentage of .674 for the game was the sixth-best effort in school history and the team's second-best performance ever at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
A Boost Off the Bench
Senior guard Jason Okrzesik has come off the bench in each of Northwestern's first seven games this season and has provided the team with a lift. Okrzesik ranks third on the team with an average of 12.3 points per game and a .425 3-point field goal percentage. He has twice set new career highs for scoring in a game this season, first with his 15-point effort against Benedictine (Ill.) Nov. 20 and then again with 18 points vs. Savannah State Dec. 1. Okrzesik has scored at least eight points in every game this season.
The Season for Giving
The Wildcats rank atop the Big Ten in assists so far this season, averaging 19.14 per contest. Michael Thompson and Craig Moore have played a large role in Northwestern ranking atop the category as Thompson is first in the conference with an average of 5.43 assists per game, while Moore close behind, ranked fourth at 4.29 helpers per game. Thompson ranks fifth among all of the nation's freshmen in the category. NU is also tops in the Big Ten with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.63. The 'Cats are averaging a league-low 11.7 turnovers per contest through their first seven games.
NU Among the Nation's Leaders
Northwestern entered the week ranked among the top 25 teams in the nation in four statistical categories. As of games played Dec. 2, the Wildcats were fifth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.61), 10th in fewest turnovers per game (11.7), 19th in assists per game (18.5) and 22nd in steals per game (10.3).
The Juice is Loose
Freshmen across the country have been getting all sorts of coverage based on the immediate contributions they have provided. One newcomer who has flown under the radar is Northwestern point guard Michael "Juice" Thompson. The Chicago native has enjoyed an as impressive start to a collegiate career as any NU player in recent memory, ranking first in the Big Ten with an average of 5.43 assists per game and ninth with a norm of 14.6 points per contest. Thompson scored 16 points, all in the second half, against No. 20 Stanford in his collegiate debut Nov. 15. It was the most points by a Wildcat player in his first college game since Vedran Vukusic also had 16 points in the 2001 season opener. Thompson showed his debut was a sign of things to come Nov. 17 against DePaul as he tallied a game-high 24 points. He has handed out seven or more assists in a game three times already this season, including nine against Brown Nov. 24, ranking him in a tie for the eighth-best single-game effort in school history.
Getting Moore Out of Craig
After struggling during his sophomore season, junior guard Craig Moore has stepped up so far this year. He ranks second behind Michael Thompson with averages of 13.1 points and 4.3 assists per game and he leads the team with a norm of 4.3 rebounds per contest. Moore ranks fourth in the Big Ten in assists and 12th in scoring. He is also second with an average of 3.57 3-pointers made per game and fifth with 2.14 steals per contest.
Scouting Western Michigan
• The Broncos (4-4) are coming off a 72-61 loss against San Diego State last Saturday. David Kool led Western Michigan with 14 points.
•Kool, a sophomore guard, was the Mid-American Conference Freshman of the Year last season. He paces WMU with an average of 14.1 points per game this season.
•An 83-76 home win over No. 25 Davidson Nov. 21 was the Broncos first victory over a ranked team since defeating No. 5 DePaul 65-64 Dec. 19, 1984.
•Steve Hawkins is in his fifth season as the head coach of the Broncos after working for three years as an assistant coach at WMU. He helped lead the team to the 2004 NCAA Tournament and to the NIT in 2005.
Up Next...
The Wildcats will take a break for final exams an then return to action Dec. 20 when they host Howard at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
