Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Welcome Houston Baptist To Welsh-Ryan Arena
11/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern (0-2) hosts Houston Baptist (1-1) in a 7 p.m. contest Thursday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena. The Wildcats are coming off a hard-fought battle against reigning Big XII champs, Kansas State, on Monday night while the Huskies are looking for their first road victory after tumbling, 82-72, to Stephen F. Austin on Monday.
Scouting the Huskies
Houston Baptist's basketball program competes as an independent at the Division I level, but will become a member of the Great West Conference next season. The Huskies finished with a 14-11 mark last year. In 2006-07, their final year as a member of the NAIA, the Huskies went 27-7, making an eighth-straight appearance in the NAIA national tournament, and advancing to Elite Eight. Todd Buchanan enters his fourth year at the helm of the Huskies and returns seven letterwinners and four starters from last season. Houston Baptist is led by Jelela Simpson, who leads the team with 12.5 ppg and 9.0 rpg. The senior forward turned in a solid performance in the 82-72 loss at Stephen F. Austin on Monday, pouring in 18 points and 13 rebounds. Jamie Spriggs, Raquel Jones and Fallon Thomas joined Simpson in double-figures with 11, 10 and 10 points, respectively. The Huskies shot only 41 percent from the field and were out-rebounded by eight in the loss.
The Series
Today's meeting is the first ever between the two squads.The Wildcats play a total of three teams from recently reformed Great West Conference, which added six new members in certain sports in July 2008. Chicago State, which NU played in the season-opener, is a conference affiliate as is North Dakota. Northwestern holds a 1-2 record against current members of the conference.
Evaluating the Opposition
During the 2008-09 season, Northwestern faces seven opponents who appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament. They include Monday's opponent Kansas State (5 seed), Ohio State (6), Marquette (7), Iowa (9), Minnesota (9), DePaul (10) and Missouri (13).
Jaeschke Delivers in First Two Contests
Sophomore Amy Jaeschke picked up right where she left off last season: topping the Wildcats' scoring column. The 6-5 center is averaging 20.0 ppg through the first two games and has been accurate from the field, connecting on 63 percent of her shots. Jaesckhe leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 11.5 rpg and averaging three blocks per game.
Youth Movement
Three of Northwestern's top four scorers are underclassmen. Sophomores Amy Jaeschke and Meshia Reed lead the team offensively with 20.0 and 13.0 ppg, respectively, while freshman Brittany Orban is averaging 7.5 ppg. There are eight underclassmen and six veterans on the Wildcats' roster.
Speaking Percentages...
Despite the outcomes of the past two games, the Wildcats are doing what they need to do to give themselves a chance to win. The squad been more accurate from the field (shooting at least 45 percent) and against Kansas State, NU won the battle on the boards and shot better from beyond the arc.
Lean on Us
Sophomore center Amy Jaeschke and junior point guard Jenny Eckhart lead the Big Ten in minutes played. Jaeschke is averaging 38.00 mpg while Eckhart has racked up an average of 37.5.
For complete game notes, please reference the PDF above.
