Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Commence 2009-10 Campaign at Toledo Friday Evening
11/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern debuts the 2009-10 season on the road against Toledo at 6 p.m CT, Friday, Nov. 13. The 'Cats are looking to build off several weeks of intense practices and their dominating 119-66 exhibition victory over Robert Morris (Ill.) back on Nov. 1. NU is 25-9 all-time in season-openers and 6-5 when starting a campaign on the road. Following Friday's contest, the Wildcats have a week hiatus before digging in for a seven-game homestand, starting with Southern Illinois-Edwardsville at 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 20. In fact, 10 of NU's first 12 games are played in the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Fans wishing to stay up to date on the action in Friday's game can do so by following the username @NU_sportsLIVE on Twitter. Gametracker will also be available on Toledo's website.
LAST TIME OUT...
Sophomore Brittany Orban and junior Amy Jaeschke paced Northwestern with 25 and 23 points, respectively, as the Wildcats dominated Robert Morris, 119-66, Sunday afternoon in their first and only exhibition game of the 2009-10 season. All Wildcats got into the scoring column as Northwestern shot an outstanding 54 percent from the field en route to the victory.
OPPONENT PROFILE
Toledo Rockets
• 2008-09 Record: 18-13
• Series History: First Meeting
• Last Meeting: First Meeting
• After finishing 18-13 overall and 11-5 in the MAC last season, the Rockets were picked to finish first in the MAC West preseason polls.
• Toledo returns all five starters from the 2008-09 campaign, including Tanika Mays (12.5 ppg), Naama Shafir (11.7 ppg), Allie Clifton (9.7 ppg), Jessica Williams (9.6 ppg) and Melissa Goodall (7.5 ppg).
• Like Northwestern mentor Joe McKeown, the Rockets' head coach Tricia Cullop is in her second season at the helm of the Toledo program.
This Ain't Their First Rodeo
The Wildcats return their top five scorers from last season, including All-America candidate Amy Jaeschke (13.9 ppg), senior Kristin Cartwright (10.4 ppg), junior Meshia Reed (7.0 ppg) and sophomores Brittany Orban (8.2 ppg) and Maggie Mocchi (4.8 ppg). Jaeschke and Cartwright also led NU on the glass, pulling down 8.2 and 4.2 rpg, respectively.
Freshman Look To Contribute Early and Often
The Wildcats' freshmen contingent-- Dannielle Diamant, Kendall Hackney and Inesha Hale --are poised to immediately contribute to the Wildcats' offensive attack. Not only do Diamant and Hackney add inches (Diamant is 6-5 and Hackney is 6-2), but the duo can play multiple positions and shoot the long ball. Hale, a guard from Raymond, Mo., brings a tremendous amount of athletic ability to the backcourt and can create her own shot. The group was ranked as the 20th recruiting class in the nation.
Jaeschke Leads 'Cats into 2009-10 Season
All-America candidate Amy Jaeschke is poised to have a big season for the 'Cats. The junior all-conference performer has led NU in scoring the past two seasons, averaging 13.7 ppg during that time. Here are a few of her highlights from last season's campaign:
• Led the team with 35.9 minutes, 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game
• Led NU in blocked shots and ranked second in the Big Ten with 96 rejections
• Finished fifth in the nation with 3.2 blocks per game
• Those 96 blocks placed her atop the single- season blocks list in the Wildcat record books
• Recorded 21 double-digit performances
• Notched eight double-doubles, including seven in the first 10 games
• Played all 40 minutes in four games
Scheduling Shenanigans
The Wildcats will be able to enjoy the warmth of their beds during the first third of this year's schedule. NU plays 10 of its first 12 games at in Evanston, including a solid seven-game homestand from Nov. 20-Dec. 6. Northwestern opens the Big Ten schedule at the tail-end of that stint; a random Dec. 6 contest against Purdue. Conference play doesn't resume until later that month when the 'Cats travel to East Lansing for a Dec. 28 showdown with the Spartans.
Jaeschke Invited To Tryout for USA Basketball
For the second time in as many years, Amy Jaeschke was invited to tryout for the USA Basketball team out in Colorado Springs, Colo. While the end result wasn't what she had planned--she was called back for a second tryout, but fell just short of the final cut--the junior bolstered her confidence playing against the best players in college basketball.
Orban Steps Up in Exhibition
Sophomore Brittany Orban tallied a game-high 25 points in the Wildcats' 119-66 exhibition win over Robert Morris (Ill.) on Nov. 1. The forward recorded 21 of those 25 scores in the first half, helping NU to, ironically enough, a 21-point intermission advantage.
Jaques Named Associate Head Coach
Ali Jaques was named the Wildcats' associate head coach on Oct. 1, 2009. Jaques, who enters her second season at Northwestern, served as an assistant coach under McKeown for two seasons at George Washington before making the move to Evanston to once again coach for the veteran mentor. In just one season at Northwestern, Jaques made an immediate impact in the women's basketball recruiting world. As recruiting coordinator, she was the driving force behind this year's freshman class, which was ranked 20th in the nation by Hoopgurlz.com.
Double-Double
Aside from the obvious fact that they share the same class affiliation, the sophomore cohort, Maggie and Allison Mocchi and Brittany Orban, all have one thing in common: they are all a twin. The Mocchi's are twins (and have twin older siblings) and Orban is a twin along with her brother, who attends the University of Cincinnati.
Basketball Blood
Freshman Dannielle Diamant and fifth-year senior Kristin Cartwright did not have to go very far to get feedback on their hoops skills growing up. Diamant is the granddaughter of legendary UNLV coach Jerry Tarkanian. Cartwright is the daughter of former Chicago Bulls standout and current Phoenix Suns assistant coach Bill Cartwright.
McKeown Settles In In Evanston
Joe McKeown came to Northwestern last season after spending the past 19 years at George Washington where he amassed a 441-154 record and reached the NCAA Tournament in 15 of those 19 seasons. McKeown, one of the most respected names in women's basketball, owned a career 75 percent winning percentage, which ranked 13th on the active coaches list at the beginning of the 2008-09 season. Entering this season, McKeown is 16th on the active winningest coaches list with a 72.3 percent career mark (516-197) and 19th on the all-time list.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
