Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Welcomes UIC for Battle of Unbeatens
11/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Northwestern (3-0) vs. UIC (3-0) |
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| Date | Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 12:00 p.m. |
| Location | Welsh-Ryan Arena | Evanston, Ill. |
| Watch Live | BTN Plus on BTN2GO |
| Listen Live | WNUR - 89.3 |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Purchase Tickets | NUsports.com |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  | Facebook  | @NUWILDCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | UIC |
Watch Coach McKeown's Monday Press Conference
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will put its unblemished record up against the also undefeated UIC Flames on Wednesday for a pre-Thanksgiving matinee at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Both teams are 3-0 on the young season ahead of this week's crosstown clash.
WILDCATS HELP MCKEOWN GAIN WIN No. 600
Northwestern hosted the Kent State Golden Flashes on Friday, Nov. 21 and the Wildcats helped head coach Joe McKeown record his 600th career victory against, of all teams, his alma mater. Nia Coffey posted her second consecutive double-double behind 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Maggie Lyon led the 'Cats in the scoring column for the second time in three games with a game-high 16 points.
The home team built up a lead as many as 14 points during the first half before taking a 13-point cushion into the locker room at the half. Sophomore Christen Inman served as the spark for the Wildcats during much of the opening half as she led all players with nine points added three assists and a block in 17 minutes of early action. The Texan finished the game with a season-high 15 points and three rebounds.
Northwestern scored the opening bucket of the second half on a layup from Lyon and it would never lead by fewer than 14 points the rest of the way. The 'Cats pushed the lead to a game-high 25 points with 3:28 left to play after Ashley Deary sank a pair of free throws before eventually winning by a final score of 72-54.
Five different players scored in double figures on Friday night, including reserve forward Lauren Douglas who chipped in a season-high 10 points, eight of which came via 10 trips to the charity stripe.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
Statistically speaking, the Wildcats have been arguably the top defensive team in the Big Ten early this season. Northwestern leads the 14-team conference in both scoring defense (46.0 ppg) and field goal percentage defense (.296), while ranking second in steals (14.3 spg) and third in three-point field goal percentage defense (.205). NU's first two opponents (Chicago State and Hampton) combined to score only 16 points in the paint against the 'Cats before Kent State erupted for 32 on Nov. 21.
MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
Northwestern returns all five starters this year, but in the eyes of head coach Joe McKeown, it has seven starters. Senior guard Karly Roser, a 2012-13 All-Big Ten honorable mention selection, was limited to 13 games off the bench last season, however she started the first 60 games of her career as a freshman and sophomore. Junior Lauren Douglas is also one of the first players off the bench for the 'Cats. She was an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection last season and she has started 34 of 65 career games in a Wildcats uniform. Douglas is averaging a team-high 20.7 minutes per game off the bench, while Roser is just behind that mark at 18.7 minutes per game.
CENTURY CLUB
Northwestern's 104-point outburst at Chicago State on Nov. 14 was the largest output for the program since scoring 101 in a season-opening win against UIC on Nov. 23, 1996. The win on opening night marked the ninth time in program annals that the Wildcats reached triple digits. NU's record for most points in a game is 109 which came in a six-point victory at Michigan State on March 5, 1993. That year ('92-'93), under head coach Don Perrelli, the 'Cats also hung 103 points on Wisconsin (2/19) and 104 on Eastern Illinois (1/4). That squad reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
EVANSTON'S GLOBETROTTERS
Three members of Northwestern's current roster boast significant experience with their respective national teams. Karly Roser played with the Canadian Senior Women's National Team at the Edmonton Grads International Classic exhibition series and with the Canadian Senior Women's National B-Team at the 36th William Jones International Basketball Tournament in Taiwan. In July Nof Kedem played for Israel at the U-20 Women's Division B European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Finally, Nia Coffey won a gold medal with USA Basketball in Summer of 2013 at the FIBA U19 World Championships in Lithuania.
'CATS HOST SIXTH ANNUAL AUTISM AWARENESS GAME DEC. 7
A tradition that began with head coach Joe McKeown, Northwestern will host the sixth annual Autism Awareness Game on Sunday, Dec. 7 when Loyola visits Welsh-Ryan Arena. A cause that is near and dear to the Wildcat women's basketball program, Northwestern will once again welcome the Chicagoland chapter of Autism Speaks and continue to create awareness for the cause. There will be a quiet room available in the arena and other special in-game activities.
SCOUTING UIC
Overall Record: 3-0
All-Time Series Record: NU leads, 17-6
Notable: UIC, with seven straight wins dating back to its postseason tournament, currently boasts the second longest winning streak in the country. A Big Ten squad, Rutgers, has won nine consecutive games, including its 2014 WNIT run. The Flames boast a former Wildcat on their coaching staff, assistant Eric Simpson. Simpson was a four-year letterwinner (1990-94) at Northwestern, appearing in 97 games for the Wildcat He scored 475 career points and dished out 100 assists during his time in Evanston.
For more notes and information about Northwestern and UIC, please check out the Game Notes section at the top of the page.
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