Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Tangles With Intrastate Rival Illinois Thursday Evening
2/10/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Feb. 10, 2010
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Following a bye weekend, Northwestern looks to continue rolling Thursday evening when it travels to intrastate rival Illinois for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Fighting Illini. The game will be streamed live from Assembly Hall on www.bigtennetwork.com. Thursday's game is the first of two key road games for the Wildcats this week, as they look to even their conference tally. NU also visits Michigan State Sunday afternoon for a 1:30 p.m. CT contest. Action will be carried live on the Big Ten Network.
Fans wishing to stay up to date on the action in Thursday'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 bigtennetwork.com.
Opponent profile
Illinois Fighting Illini
• 2009-10 Record: 12-11, 4-9
• Series History: 31-29, Northwestern
• Last Meeting: Feb. 12, 2009, 60-46, Illinois
Last Time Against The Illini
Feb. 12, 2009--Northwestern hung close, but Illinois held strong on its home court, outlasting the `Cats, 60-46, at Assembly Hall. Kristin Cartwright and Amy Jaeschke led NU with 12 points each, and Jaeschke notched her eighth double-double of the season, adding a game-high 16 boards and six blocks.
Noting Illinois
• Illinois turned in a successful non-conference showing, going 8-2 before hitting conference play. Since then, the Fighting Illini have gone 4-9 in the league and have dropped seven out of their last eight games.
• Senior Jenna Smith and freshman Karisma Penn are the only two Illini posting double-digits in the scoring column, recording 17.8 and 11.2 ppg, respectively.
• Smith is Illinois' marquee player, ranking first in the conference in rebounding (11.2 rpg) and third in scoring (17.8 ppg). She is also shooting 48 percent from the field and 86 percent from the free-throw line.
• The Fighting Illini appear in the middle to bottom of most Big Ten statistical categories, but is second in the league in blocked shots, rejecting 6.13 shots per outing.
Hackney Tabbed Big Ten Freshman of the Week
Kendall Hackney earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades, the conference office announced today. Hackney led Northwestern to its 14th win of the season with an 18-point, six rebounds effort in the Wildcats' 64-60 triumph over Michigan Thursday night. It is the second time Hackney has been recognized as the league's Freshman of the Week, as she was honored back on Dec. 29.
The Cincinnati, Ohio, native, connected on 75 percent of her looks from long-range (3-of-4) and shot 7-of-12 (58.3 percent) from the field in the Wildcats' only game of the week. The freshman also added one assist and one steal on the evening.
More on Hackney
Kendall Hackney has been NU's second-leading scorer in the past three contests, averaging 14.3 ppg, while shooting 50 percent (7-of-14) from beyond the arc, and leads the `Cats in scoring percentage, connecting on 55 percent of her looks. She is also second on the team with 6.5 rpg during that span.
What A Difference A Year Makes
After going 7-23 and 3-15 last year, second-year head coach Joe McKeown and his Wildcats have become one of the biggest turnaround stories in the nation, now with a 14-9, 5-7 record. The Wildcats are tied for third in the nation when comparing wins and losses from last season to this season and sixth when talking winning percentage from 2008-09 to this year. For a complete breakdown, please click on the PDF above.
Yes, May I Help You?
When comparing last year's play to this year's, one thing that stands out is the Wildcats' committment to sharing the rock. Over the last three games, 74 percent of NU's made shots have come on the heels of an assist (46-of-62). In the win against Michigan on Feb. 4, 18 of NU's 23 makes were assisted. Junior Beth Marshall leads the team with 90 helps, while senior Kristin Cartwright has dished out 79. According to the most recent NCAA statistics (2/7/10), Marshall is also 11th in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.43).
For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.
