Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Battle Kansas State Sunday
12/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Dec. 11, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern leaves the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena for the first time in 30 days when it takes on the Wildcats of the Kansas State variety Sunday at 2 p.m. in Manhattan. Northwestern enters the game with a 6-2 overall record and a 1-0 mark in conference action. It is the first time the Wildcats have won their Big Ten opener since the 1998-99 season.
Following Sunday's game, the Wildcats return to Evanston to finish off the nonconference season with three-straight home games, including showdowns with Arkansas (12/17), Chicago State (12/19) and Loyola (Chicago) (12/22), before breaking for the holiday. Big Ten play resumes on Dec. 28 when Northwestern travels to Ann Arbor to battle the Wolverines in a 6 p.m. CT contest.
Fans wishing to follow Sunday's action can do so through the Gametracker on Kansas State's Website or on Twitter under the username @NU_sportsLIVE.
Opponent profile
Kansas State Wildcats
• 2009-10 Record: 4-4
• Series History: Tied, 2-2
• Last Meeting: November 17, 2008; 57-52 Kansas State
• Kansas State enters Sunday's contest with a .500 record and has won its last two games, including a tight 64-60 win over Missouri State on Dec. 5. Ashley Sweat scored a game-high 26 points and pulled down seven rebounds to lead the Wildcats to victory.
• Sweat also leads the team in scoring and in rebounding with 19.4 ppg and 7.9 rpg. The senior is shooting 86 percent from the free-throw line and nearly 60 percent from deep. She is a mainstay on the court for the Wildcats, averaging 37.1 minutes per outing.
• Brittany Chambers and Kari Kincaid join Sweat in double-figures with 13.3 and 10.5 ppg, respectively.
Last Time Against Kansas State...
Northwestern battled 2007 Big XII Champs Kansas State to the final seconds, but in the end, the visiting Wildcats used timely shooting and solid defense to escape with a 57-52 win. Amy Jaeschke, Meshia Reed and Kristin Cartwright all tallied double-figures for NU.
Kansas State pulled to within one score with 2:40 remaining in the game, but Shalee Lehning poured in five straight points to give KSU a 50-53 edge with :45 seconds left. Reed knocked down a jumper to pull NU to within one with :29 seconds on the clock, but the Wildcats were forced to foul and KSU did not miss from the charity stripe and hung on for a narrow 57-52 win.
Jaeschke finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while Reed chipped in 14 points and three steals and Cartwright contributed 11 points.
Recapping Purdue
Northwestern's 60-58 victory over Purdue last time out was a milestone of sorts for the Wildcats. It marked the first time in nearly 13 years NU had defeated the Boilermakers and it was also the first time Northwestern started the conference season with a win since the 1998-99 campaign.
Free Ticket, We'll Take It
The Wildcats have been to the free-throw line 169 times in just eight games and have converted on 74 percent of those looks. Junior Kristin Cartwright leads the team in conversions with an 89.5 shooting percentage. Four other Wildcats are shooting 70 percent or better from the free-throw line, including Amy Jaeschke (79.2 percent), Dannielle Diamant (79.4 percent), Ali Mocchi (71.4 percent) and Brittany Orban (71.1 percent).
Jaeschke 4th In The Nation In Blocks; Moves Into Second All-Time In NU History
Junior Amy Jaeschke ranks 4th in the nation in blocks with 4.3 rejections per game according to the most recent NCAA statistics (through 12/7/09). Last season, the 6-5 center set a Wildcat single-season record with 96 rejections. With eight blocks in the last two games, Jaeschke now has 181 career swats, which makes her second all-time in NU history.
Close Calls
The difference between Northwestern and a perfect 7-0 season is a measly five points. The Wildcats lost to College of Charleston by four points and to Clemson by the slimmest of margins. On the flipside, Northwestern has combined to win its six games by an average of 14.6 points.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
