Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Battle Gophers In Monday Night Showdown
2/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2009
EVANSTON, Ill. --Northwestern wraps up the 2008-09 season over the next week and a half, first hosting Minnesota in a 7 p.m. affair Monday evening which will be carried live on the Big Ten Network. The Wildcats then travel to Penn State for a 6 p.m. showdown on Thursday, Feb. 26 before welcoming Iowa to Welsh-Ryan Arena for a 2 p.m. contest on Sunday, March 1--Senior Day. The Big Ten Tournament begins March 5 in Indianapolis.
Last Time Out
Freshman Maggie Mocchi poured in a career-best 19 points and two other Wildcats turned in double-digit performances but it was not enough as Indiana downed Northwestern, 85-67, Thursday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Sophomore Meshia Reed and freshman Brittany Orban tallied 13 points each. The Hoosiers used an outrageous 11-of-14 effort (74 percent) from beyond the arc to claim the victory down the stretch. The two teams combined for 20 three-pointers.
Scouting Minnesota
The Gophers enter today's contest with an 18-8 overall mark and a 10-5 conference record, and are coming off a 73-62 home loss to Ohio State on Thursday, Feb. 19. The defeat marked the Gophers' second loss in the past three games, as they also fell to Purdue, 55-40, before edging out a one-point victory at Michigan, 60-59. Senior Emily Fox leads the UM offensively, recording 12.4 ppg while Ashley Ellis-Milan is second with 11.9 ppg, and is leading the squad with 7.7 boards per outing. Prior to Sunday's games, Minnesota is tied with Iowa (one of NU's final three opponents) for fourth place in the Big Ten.
The Series against Golden Gophers
Northwestern leads the all-time series between the two teams 29-26. The last time the two squads met was on Jan. 25 when Minnesota squeaked out a 43-40 victory at Williams Arena. Freshman Brittany Orban tallied a team-best 13 points and seven rebounds in that contest, while sophomore Amy Jaeschke and junior Kristin Cartwright each chipped in eight points and six boards.
The Gophers held a three-point advantage with 2:38 to play before mid-range jumper from Jaeschke at the 2:13 mark pulled NU to within one, 39-38. Orban tallied a layup with 1:33 on the clock to give Northwestern the one-point lead. Minnesota's Ashley Ellis-Milan converted on a layup with 1:02 left and gave the advantage back to the home team.
In the final minute, a three-pointer by Erin Dickerson rimmed out with 47 seconds on the clock. The Gophers ran down the shot clock on the ensuing possession and a desperation shot by Emily Fox was off the mark, but Ashley Ellis-Milan grabbed the rebound and Northwestern was forced to foul. Jackie Voight converted on both free-throws, giving Minnesota a 43-40 advantage with 14.1 seconds on the clock.
Northwestern could not find the basket in the final seconds and Minnesota escaped with the three-point victory.
Crashing the Boards
Northwestern has out-rebounded its opponents in three out of the last four games and in four out of the last six. Amy Jaeschke leads the way with 8.5 rpg, which ranks sixth in the league (as of 2/21/09) while Kristin Cartwright is second with 4.3 per outing. As a team, NU is averaging 33.7 rebounds a game.
Freshmen Lead The Way
Maggie Mocchi and Brittany Orban have answered head coach Joe McKeown's plea to be a difference-maker. The two freshmen have not only led Northwestern offensively in the past two games, but they have done it in career fashion. Mocchi scored a personal-best 19 points against Indiana Thursday evening while Orban poured in a career-high 25 points at No. 18 Ohio State on Sunday, Feb. 15. The two have combined to lead the 'Cats in scoring five times this season.
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
