Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Travel To University Park To Tangle With Lady Lions
1/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 9, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern travels to University Park to tangle with Penn State in a 6 p.m. CT contest Thursday. The showdown will be broadcast live by WNUR radio (89.3 FM). The Wildcats are looking to bounce back from a 54-42 loss at Michigan in which both Meshia Reed and Ellen Jaeschke notched double-doubles. Reed registered a career-high 24 points and a personal-best 11 rebounds, while Jaeschke contributed her third double-dip with 12 points and 11 boards. Her cousin, freshman Amy Jaeschke, contributed nine caroms and added six points. Reed has now hit the double-figure plateau in back-to-back games as she recorded a then-career-best 23 points against Indiana on Dec. 31.
The Lady Lions enter Thursday's match up with an 11-4 overall record and a 2-1 conference mark. Penn State's only losses have come at the hands of Xavier, Old Dominion, Syracuse and Iowa--all of which were road challenges.
Following the trip to Pennsylvania, Northwestern returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena to face No. 19/19 Ohio State on Sunday, Jan. 13 and Michigan State on Jan. 17.
Scouting the Lady Lions
Penn State enters today's game with an 11-4 overall record and a 2-1 league mark. PSU's only four losses--Xavier, Old Dominion, Syracuse and Iowa--have come away from the friendly confines of the Bryce Jordan Center. Four Lady Lions are averaging double figures in Tyra Grant (14.4), Brianne O'Rourke (13.1), Mashea Williams (12.6) and Kamela Gissendannder (11.5). Gissendanner also leads Penn State on the boards, pulling down 7.4 per outing. The Lady Lions, under the tutelage of first-year head coach Coquese Washington, are looking to build on their two-game conference winning streak. PSU narrowly defeated Illinois, 49-48, at home but turned around and convincingly defeated Michigan State, 69-57, on the road.
The Series Against Penn State
Penn State holds a 25-6 advantage in the all-time series against Northwestern, though one of NU's half-a-dozen victories came last season in Evanston. The Wildcats defeated the Lady Lions 64-61 on Feb. 11 thanks to a balanced offensive attack. Beth Marshall, A.J. Glasauer and Kristin Cartwright all registered double-digits in the victory. The next time these two teams meet is on Feb. 24 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Coach Combs Challenge--Jan. 13
The Coach Combs Challenge, brought to you by the same folks who conceived last year's hit Purple Hair Dare, will take place on Sunday, Jan. 13 when the Wildcats face Ohio State. This season, if the attendance mark is hit, Coach Combs will spray her hair purple, paint her face and dress head-to-toe in crazy Wildcat gear for the game against the Buckeyes. Tickets for the event start at just $2! For more information, please visit Nusports.com.
Reed Scores Career-High Against Michigan
Freshman Meshia Reed busted her previous career-high of 23 points which came against Indiana on Dec. 31 and recorded a personal-high 24 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday against Michigan. She made the final seconds interesting, running off seven points in less than 20 seconds. Reed made the first of two free throws before getting the rebound on the second and sinking a three-pointer. Ellen Jaeschke intercepted Michigan's in-bounds pass and dished it to Reed for another trey. Reed is the Wildcats' most dangerous threat from downtown, hitting 17-of-43 (39 percent) attempts. She is also the team's second-leading scorer with 10.8 ppg.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
