Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Tangle With Spartans Thursday Evening
2/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 20, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern plays the second of three games this week in East Lansing Thursday evening when it takes on sixth-place Michigan State. The showdown is set for 6 p.m. CT and is being broadcast over the airwaves on WNUR (89.3 FM).
Last Time Out ...
Three Wildcats scored in double figures, but it was not enough as Northwestern fell to Wisconsin 79-65 in front of a boisterous pink-clad audience of 1,300 at Welsh-Ryan Arena Monday evening. Amy Jaeschke, Meshia Reed and Nadia Bibbs all chipped in double digits as the Wildcats participated in Think Pink, the WBCA's global initiative to spread breast cancer awareness.
The first half proved to be an up-tempo shoot-out as the two teams traded the lead on seven occasions and tied the score six times. Amy Jaeschke led the Wildcats with 16 points at the break. Combined, the two squads shot 55 percent in the first half.
In the second half, the Badgers slowly built a 10-point lead, but NU put up a fight and continually answered Wisconsin's baskets until the visitors went on an 8-0 run to go up 18 with just under two minutes left.
Jaeschke finished with 20 points, while Bibbs and Reed added 15 and 14 points, respectively. The Wildcats turned in a 53-percent shooting effort on the evening.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State enters Thursday's contest on a three-game winning streak after squeaking out victories against Purdue and Indiana and downing Penn State handily on the road, 66-50, on Sunday. The Spartans have now won five out of their last seven contests and boast a 16-11 overall mark and an 8-7 conference record. It's hard to talk about MSU without focusing on 6-9 center Alyssa DeHaan. The sophomore is the Spartans' leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.9 ppg and 7.9 rpg. She currently has 112 blocks on the season, which is tops in the Big Ten and second nationally. Freshman Kalisha Keane is the only other Spartan to join DeHaan in double figures with 12.4 ppg. She is also a force to be reckoned with on the glass, coming in second in rebounding with 6.2 rpg. DeHaan was tabbed the Big Ten Player of the Week after averaging 15.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 blocks and 2.0 assists during last week's three contests. With the victories, MSU moved from eighth in the league to sixth.
The Series Against Michigan State
The last time these two squads met was on Jan. 17 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Despite Amy Jaeschke's career-high 26 points and 10 rebounds, and cousin Ellen Jaeschke's 12 points and seven boards, Michigan State prevailed, 74-62. With the victory, the Spartans take a 29-22 lead in the all-time series.
Block-By-Block
Freshman Amy Jaeschke continues to climb NU's single-game block list thanks to two rejections against Wisconsin on Monday. Jaeschke now has 41 blocks on the season, which puts her in sixth place on the all-time list. Anucha Browne (1982-83, 1983-84) and Sarah Kwasinski (2002-30, 2001-02) had 48 or more blocks in two seasons and Christina Braden tops the list with 58 rejections during the 1995-96 campaign. What is even more impressive is that Jaeschke has only played 17 games due to breaking her hand in the season opener.
Family Matters
Cousins Amy and Ellen Jaeschke have made an immediate impact at Northwestern. In 18 out of NU's 26 games, one Jaeschke has led the team in either scoring or rebounding. Amy has led NU in scoring 10 times her 17 games played. She also has led NU in rebounding on nine occasions. Ellen, a junior, has topped the scoring column three times in 25 games and been the rebounding leader on five occasions. Both are shooting above 40 percent from the field.
Regarding Amy
Entering her first collegiate career, freshman Amy Jaeschke knew of the expectations that come with being the 19th-ranked player in the nation. After sitting out nine games following a broken hand in the season operner, Jaeschke is coming to realize what it takes to lead by example. The 6-foot-5 center is averaging a team-best 13.9 ppg and 7.2 rpg and has recorded 41 blocks. She has led Northwestern in both scoring and rebounding six times, including three out of the past six games.
Home Sweet Home
If the game is in Evanston, you can expect Amy Jaeschke to bring her `A' game. The freshman is averaging 15 points per game and 8.0 rpg in the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena. She is also shooting 46 percent from the floor and 70 percent from the free-throw line.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above. Northwestern plays the second of three games this week in East Lansing Thursday evening when it takes on sixth-place Michigan State. The showdown is set for 6 p.m. CT and is be broadcast over the airwaves on WNUR (89.3 FM).
