Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Square Off Against Boilermakers Sunday Afternoon
1/31/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. --Northwestern takes the court at 1 p.m. CT Sunday at Purdue after dropping the past two contests by a combined four points. NU and the Boilers have been the victim of the conference's parody this year as both squads' Thursday contests were decided by just one point. Following Sunday's showdown, the 'Cats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena to host Michigan at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 5.
Last Time Out ... Northwestern came out on the short end of a one-point affair Thursday evening against Illinois, dropping a 45-44 decision at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Senior Ellen Jaeschke recorded her first double-double of the season, netting 14 points on 5-of-7 from the field and pulling down 11 boards. Kristin Cartwright joined Jaeschke in double-figures with 12 points, including a 5-of-6 effort from the charity stripe.
Scouting the Boilermakers
Purdue enters Sunday's contest sharing Northwestern's familiarity with one-point games. After taking its first lead of the game on a three-pointer with 7.8 seconds left against Wisconsin, the Boilermakers stole a victory from the jaws of defeat, 52-51, in Madison Thursday evening. Purdue has had a roller coaster ride over its last four contests, losing by 11 against No. 14 Ohio State, defeating Minnesota, 56-43, at Mackey Arena and getting blown out against Indiana in Bloomington, 71-51, on Jan. 19. Fifth-year senior Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton leads an experienced starting five that also includes Ki-Ki Freeman and Danielle Campbell. Wisdom-Hylton and Freeman lead the Boilers offensively with 12.8 and 11.4 ppg, respectively, while freshman point guard Brittany Rayburn is third on the squad with 9.4 ppg. Wisdom-Hylton, a Naperville native, is pulling down a team-best 9.1 rpg. As a team, Purdue is outscoring their opponents by 6.5 points per game and averaging 8.6 steals per outing. The Boilermakers are under the tuteldge of third-year head coach and former Purdue standout Sharon Versyp.
The Series against Purdue
Purdue holds a 39-18 advantage in the all-time series against these two teams. If the last time these two teams met (Jan. 11) is any indication, Sunday's game should be a dandy. The contest went into overtime where the Boilers took control of the game, going 4-of-5 in the extra session, all four buckets courtsey of Kiki Freeman.
About Those Last Two Games...
The Wildcats have stumbled over a particularly large streak of bad luck over the last couple contests. Against Minnesota on Sunday, Jan. 25, Northwestern battled back to earn a final possession down three with 14 seconds left, but couldn't convert, falling by three in Minneapolis. Thursday against Illinois, the ball didn't bounce NU's way and two possessions passed without the necessary point to tie the game.
Ellen Jaeschke, Cartwright Come Alive
Kristin Cartwright has led Northwestern the past two games, averaging 10.0 ppg, collecting four steals and shooting an outstanding 9-of-10 from the free throw line. Ellen Jaeschke, who recorded her first double-double of the season against Illinois Thursday (14 pts/11 reb), is second with 9.0 ppg and first in rebounding with 7.5 rpg.
Is That Really Free?
Northwestern is shooting 75.9 percent from the free throw line over the past two games, connecting on 22-of-29 attempts. On the season, the Wildcats are shooting 70 percent, with Ellen Jaeschke leading the way at an .889 clip.
Mixing It Up
Joe McKeown and the Wildcats can't be accused of not being creative. Northwestern has had nine different starting lineup combinations this season. Amy Jaeschke, Maggie Mocchi, Ellen Jaeschke, Meshia Reed, Erin Dickerson, Brittany Orban, Jenny Eckhart and Kristin Cartwright have all been in the starting rotation at some point this season.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
