Northwestern University Athletics
'Cats Look For Revenge Against Minnesota Sunday Afternoon
1/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 16, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- After spending last week on the road with contests at Minnesota and at Purdue, Northwestern (11-6, 2-4) returns to the friendly confines of Welsh-Ryan Arena to battle the Golden Gophers (11-6, 4-2) for the second time in 10 days. Tip is set for 2 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
Fans wishing to stay up to date on the action in Sunday's game can do so by following the username @NU_sportsLIVE on Twitter. The game will be broadcast live on WNUR 89.3FM and streamed live at NUsports.com.
Since the two teams last met, the Wildcats dropped a gutsy effort at Purdue and enjoyed a bye week, while Minnesota lost at Illinois, 64-62, and defeated the Boilermakers, 74-47, at Williams Arena. Following Sunday's bout, Northwestern once again ventures outside of Evanston for two contests at Indiana on Thursday, Jan. 21 and at Iowa on the 24th.
Opponent profile
Minnesota Golden Gophers
• 2009-10 Record: 11-6, 4-2
• Series History: 31-26, Minnesota
• Last Meeting: January 7, 2010; 73-65 Minnesota
Last Time Against The Gophers
It was a tale of two halves, and when the final horn blasted, Northwestern found itself on the short end of a 73-65 decision in Minneapolis. Beth Marshall and Kristin Cartwright led the `Cats with 14 points each, while Meshia Reed added 11.
Northwestern dominated in the first half, taking a 41-30 lead into the locker room. The 'Cats knocked down 11 of their first 14 attempts and shot nearly 60 percent in the opening stanza. But the Gophers battled back and found themselves with an eight-point advantage with 3:04 remaining. The Wildcats responded by converting on back-to-back trips to the line to slash the lead in half, 64-60 with 2:23 remaining. The difference see-sawed between four and six points until a three-point conversion by Cartwright cut the difference to three with 50 seconds left.
On the ensuing possession, the Gophers couldn't get a good look until the shot clock nearly expired. But, Buford connected on a triple to give Minnesota a six-point lead with 24 seconds left. Northwestern could not convert and the Gophers held on for the victory. Freshmen Kendall Hackney and Dannielle Diamant led NU on the glass with seven boards each.
Noting Minnesota
• Only 10 days separates the last time these two teams met. The Gophers dropped a 64-62 decision at Illinois on Thursday, Jan. 7 and knocked off Purdue 74-47 at Williams Arena thursday evening.
• Sophomore Kiara Buford leads Minnesota offensively, recording 14.5 ppg while also shooting nearly 40 percent from behind the arc. Senior Ashley Ellis-Milan also averages double-figures for Minnesota (11.0 ppg) and is the team's leading rebounder with 5.4 per outing.
• The Gophers also lead the league in steals, averaging 10.7 snatches per outing. Guard Brittany McCoy is their primary pick-pocket with 44 on the season.
Freshmen Coming Alive In Conference Action
Freshmen Kendall Hackney and Dannielle Diamant have turned in solid performances in conference action. Hackney is tied for fires on the team in rebounds in Big Ten games, grabbing 6.2 rpg. She is also fourth on the squad in points per league outing, turning in 7.8 ppg. Diamant, meanwhile, is a perfect 12-of-12 from the free-throw line and is second in scoring with 8.8 ppg.
Jaeschke On The Heels of 1,000th Career Point
Junior Amy Jaeschke needs just 24 points to score the 1,000th point of her already successful career at NU. She pulled down her 500th career rebound in the first half against Ohio State on Dec. 31, 2009 and swatted her 200th block against Penn State on Jan. 3.
Complete game notes can be accessed by clicking on the PDF above.
