Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Seeks to Extend Winning Streak at ASU Classic
12/19/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| ASU CLASSIC (Tempe, Ariz.) | |
| (rv/rv) Northwestern (9-0) vs. Eastern Illinois (3-7) |
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| Date | Saturday, Dec. 20 | 4:30 p.m. CT |
| Location | Wells Fargo Arena | Tempe, Ariz. |
| Live Stats | TheSunDevils.com |
| Listen Live | Hit Mix 88.9 FM (EIU Broadcast) |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  | Northwestern Women's Basketball  | @NUCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | Eastern Illinois |
| (rv/rv) Northwestern (9-0) vs. Arizona State (8-1) OR Lehigh (7-0) |
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| Date | Sunday, Dec. 21 | TBA |
| Location | Wells Fargo Arena | Tempe, Ariz. |
| Live Stats | TheSunDevils.com |
| Watch Live | TheSunDevils.com (vs. ASU only) |
| Social Media | @nuwbball | Northwestern Women's Basketball | @NUCATS_WBB |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | Lehigh | Arizona State |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern will seek to extend its longest winning streak since 1995 this weekend when it plays on back-to-back days for the only time during the regular season at the ASU Classic in Tempe, Ariz. The Wildcats will tangle with the Eastern Illinois Panthers in their first game on Saturday, Dec. 20 before battling either Lehigh or host Arizona State at the Wells Fargo Arena.
STRETCHING THE STREAK
Northwestern arrives in Tempe, Ariz. with an active nine-game winning streak, the program's longest since Nov. 24-Dec. 18, 1995. To find the last time that the Wildcats won 10 consecutive games, you have to go back to the 1989-90 campaign when the squad went unbeaten in 10 contests between Dec. 9, 1989 - Jan. 21, 1990. That team, under head coach Don Perrelli, won 24 games and the program's first Big Ten Championship. To date, NU has had five streaks of 10 wins or more and the record for most consecutive wins is 17 (Jan. 23 - March 8, 1980).
ALONE ON TOP
Northwestern is currently left as the lone undefeated team in the Big Ten, and one of only 12 in the NCAA without a blemish on its record. Three other B1G teams, Indiana, Minnesota and the Huskers, have just one loss on their record to date. The 'Cats are 9-0 and have their best start to a season under head coach Joe McKeown, and the best overall since 1995-96. The Wildcats also won nine straight to open the 1995-96 season , while the program record for the longest season-opening win streak came in 1976-77 when Northwestern won its first 12 contests before falling to Michigan State on Feb. 12, 1977.
CATCH 'EM IF YOU CAN
Northwestern has done a good deal of damage in transition this month scoring an average of 16.5 points per game on the fast break. On the other side of the floor, the Wildcats have limited Virginia Tech and Loyola to a combined six points on the break, while Gonzaga and UNLV have been shutout in that category. Chicago's Big Ten Team outscored its last two foes, 28-0, in fast break points this week. NU's highest output, 26 points, came in a 25-point victory at Virginia Tech in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Dec. 4.
MINUTEWOMEN
Northwestern's five starters - Alex Cohen, Nia Coffey, Maggie Lyon, Christen Inman and Ashley Deary - plus super-subs Lauren Douglas and Karly Roser have combined to play 1,683 of 1,850 possible minutes this season (91 percent). All five starters have played at least 232 minutes, while Lyon has played the most thus far at 290 (32.2 per game). During NU's double-overtime win against DePaul on Nov. 29, the durable junior played 49 of a possible 50 minutes.
SENSATIONAL SOPHOMORES
Northwestern's trio of sophomores in the starting lineup have showed no sign of slowing down in their second seasons. Nia Coffey is the team's top scorer at 16.4 points per game, while Christen Inman and Ashley Deary are just shy of double figures with 9.7 and 9.1 ppg, respectively. Coffey also leads the way on the boards with 8.4 rpg, while Deary ranks second in the entire country with 4.22 steals per game. One month into their second season, the group has already combined for 122 career starts.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats will take the week off following the ASU Classic before revving for Big Ten play on December 28 at Michigan State. After battling the Spartans in East Lansing, NU returns to Welsh-Ryan Arena on New Year's Day to host Wisconsin at 1 p.m. In their return home, the 'Cats will host Frozen Day with visits from Queen Elsa and Princess Ana, the opportunity to win tickets to Disney's Frozen on Ice, great prizes and more. Discounted tickets will be available for $3 to any fan in a Frozen costume.
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