Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Open 2009 Hosting Wisconsin In Sunday Night Showdown
1/2/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 2, 2009
EVANSTON, ILL. --Northwestern commences 2009 hosting Wisconsin in a 5 p.m. showdown Sunday evening that will be carried live on the Big Ten Network. Following the contest against the Badgers, NU travels to East Lansing for a 6 p.m. CT meeting with Michigan State Thursday, Jan. 8.
Entering the Game...
• The 'Cats face the Badgers following a hard-fought 68-59 loss last time out to No. 17 Ohio State. Northwestern gave the Buckeyes all they could handle, holding last year's co-Big Ten Player of the Year Jantel Lavender to 15 points and five rebounds--the first time this season the sophomore has not notched a double-double. On the flip side, NU sophomore Amy Jaeschke netted a game-high 24 points while also grabbing five rebounds. Junior Kristin Cartwright and sophomore Meshia Reed joined Jaeschke in double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Northwestern shot a season-best 53.5 percent from the field and a season-high 90 percent (9-of-10) from the free-throw line.
• Wisconsin enters Sunday's game after a New Year's Day bash with Illinois at Assembly Hall. The Badgers held the Fighting Illini to just 17 first-half tallies and a total of 38 points on the afternoon. Alyssa Karel led a balanced scoring attack for UW with 13 points. Lin Zastrow and Rae Lin D'Alie tallied nine and eight points, respectively, while Teah Gant chipped in seven.
Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin enters Sunday's game with a 12-2 overall mark and a 2-1 conference record. The Badgers' most recent loss came in the conference-opener against Iowa at home--a 73-63 decision--back on Dec. 22. Since then, UW has disposed of Minnesota (62-52) and Illinois (53-38) to pull its league mark above .500. The Badgers' only other defeat came in the season-opener against Top-25 power South Dakota State. Sophomore guard Alyssa Karel is averaging a team-best 14.0 ppg and is second on the squad in shooting percentage, knocking down 46 percent of her attempts. Fellow classmate Lin Zastrow leads the way on the boards, pulling down 5.1 rpg. The Badgers haven't been overwhelming their foes with offensive firepower, only averaging 60.4 ppg, but have been holding their opponents to just 54.6 ppg.
The Series against Wisconsin
Northwestern holds a 28-27 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads.
Conference Call
Sophomores Amy Jaeschke and Meshia Reed know that Big Ten play is really what counts. The two have scored over half of the team's points in the first three league contests. Jaeschke leads the squad with an average of 19.0 ppg, while Reed is recording 10.7. The duo is also getting the job done on the glass, leading the way with 7.7 and 3.3 rpg, respectively.
Almost ...There
Though the record doesn't reflect the progress Northwestern has made this season, consider the following:
• Northwestern has held the lead at halftime in 10-of its-14 games this season.
• All but three of NU's 10 losses have been by single-digits and four have been by six points or less.
• Comparing this year's numbers with last year's stats at the same time (through 14 games; same record) shows that the 'Cats have improved in points per game, scoring margin, field goal percentage, free-throw percentage, rebounding margin, turnover margin, assist/turnover ratio, blocks and turnovers.
The Wildcats On The Big Stage
As of Dec. 21, Northwestern ranks 59th nationally in field goal percentage (43.2) and 52nd in blocked shots with 4.6 per game. Individually, sophomore Amy Jaeschke is 14th in the nation in rebounds per game and 6th in blocked shots. She also appears in the top 100 in field goal percentage (49th) and points per game (82nd).
On Point
Northwestern shot a season-high 53.5 percent from the field against No. 17 Ohio State on Wednesday afternoon. Additionally, the 'Cats connected on .900 percent of their opportunies (9-of-10) from the free-throw line and .444 percent from beyond the arc. As a team, the Wildcats are shooting .438 from the field, which ranks third in the Big Ten.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
