Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Visit Wolverines Saturday for Nationally-Televised Tilt
2/13/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
| Northwestern (18-6, 8-5 B1G) at Michigan (14-10, 6-7 B1G) |
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| Date | Saturday, Feb. 14 | 1:00 p.m. CT |
| Location | Crisler Center | Ann Arbor, Mich. |
| Watch Live | BTN and BTN2GO (Kevin Lee and Brenda VanLengen) |
| Listen Live | WNUR - 89.3 FM |
| Live Stats | GameTracker |
| Social Media | @nuwbball  | Northwestern Women's Basketball  | @NUCATS_WBB  |
| Game Notes (PDF) |
Northwestern | Michigan |
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern has won three of its last four road games and the Wildcats will look to pick up another win away from home on Saturday, Feb. 14, when they visit Ann Arbor, Mich., to take on the Michigan Wolverines. The contest will be televised live on the Big Ten Network at 1 p.m. CST.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Wildcats secured their ninth win of the season away from home Wednesday night at Mackey Arena against Purdue. That victory helped the current group pass the 2011-12 squad for the most wins away from home under head coach Joe McKeown (since 2008-09). That team, three seasons ago, won only two Big Ten games away from Welsh-Ryan Arena, while this year's squad already has four with two more to go beginning Saturday at Michigan. Notably, Northwestern won against Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich., on Dec. 28, for the first time since March 5, 1993, and in West Lafayette, Ind., for the first time since Dec. 29, 1996. NU's last win in Ann Arbor came on Dec. 28, 2009. The last time Northwestern won 10 games away from Welsh-Ryan Arena was during the 1996-97 season, the same year as its most recent NCAA Tournament appearance.
PASS THE BUTTER
Northwestern's Nia Coffey has been named to the Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll in back-to-back weeks. The sophomore averaged 18.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.3 steals and 1.5 blocks per game in her team's four contests over the two-week period. Coffey scored a career-high 35 points against Iowa on Jan. 29 and followed that up with three consecutive double-doubles against Minnesota (2/1), Indiana (2/5) and Illinois (2/8). After adding another double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) on Wednesday, she currently ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 25th in the NCAA with 11 double-doubles this year. The Minneapolis, Minn. also claimed Big Ten Player of the Week honors on Dec. 1 this season after helping the 'Cats defeat No. 18 DePaul in double overtime behind 23 points and 17 rebounds.
COHEN SELECTED TO ALLSTATE WBCA GOOD WORKS TEAM(R)
Senior Alex Cohen was announced as a member of the 2015 Allstate Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Good Works Team ® on Tuesday, Feb. 10. She has been extremely active with many organizations, including Autism Speaks U, with which she has served in a leadership role over the past three years. The senior has also spent time as a mentor to middle school students, she has painted Evanston's fire hydrants purple with Youth Umbrella Organization, she has sang holiday carols at an assisted living facility and much more. From the 93 WBCA nominees, a distinguished voting panel selected two 10-member teams comprised of five student-athletes from the NCAA® Division I level and five student-athletes from NCAA Divisions II, III and the NAIA. Cohen and the rest of the Good Works Team will be honored at the WBCA Awards Show and NCAA Final Four in Tampa, Fla., in April.
DEARY NAMED TO NANCY LIEBERMAN AWARD WATCH LIST
Northwestern sophomore Ashley Deary has been named to the 2015 Nancy Lieberman Award watch list for the second consecutive season, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced on Feb. 6. The award goes to the nation's top Division I point guard. Deary leads the Wildcats and currently ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 5.2 assists per game. The Flower Mound, Texas, native is tied for the league lead with 3.2 steals per game, ranking 11th nationally in that category. She also owns a 2.0 assist/turnover ratio, the second-best mark in the Big Ten. The second-year player was a finalist for the Nancy Lieberman Award as a freshman in 2014.
SHARING IS CARING
Northwestern leads the Big Ten and ranks eighth in the NCAA with 17.8 assists per game this season. Point guard Ashley Deary ranks fourth in the conference with 5.2 helpers per game and second with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.0. The sophomore has upped those numbers to 5.5 apg with a ratio of 2.4 in conference play. As a team, NU accumulated a season-high 28 assists on 77.7 percent (28-of-36) of its made field goals at home against Iowa on Jan. 29. Senior Karly Roser had a season-high nine assists against the Hawkeyes. The team's best percentage this season came on Dec. 7 against Loyola when the Wildcats recorded 22 assists on 28 baskets (78.5 percent).
COLLECTING CHARITY
Northwestern made Purdue pay for sending it to the free-throw line on Wednesday. The Wildcats shot 94.4 percent (17-of-18) from the stripe, their best mark of the season. The lone miss came just 86 seconds into the game and the 'Cats rattled off 15 consecutive conversions the rest of the night. Ashley Deary went 9-for-9 and Nia Coffey went 5-for-5 to lead the way. NU is shooting 71 percent overall as a team from the free-throw line this season, but 75.2 percent in its 12 true road games.
DOUBLE TROUBLE
Nia Coffey has registered a team-high 11 double-doubles this season, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 25th in the NCAA in that category. That also ties her for fourth with Patricia Babcock, who posted 11 during the 1991-92 campaign. The sophomore has 19 in her career and eight in Big Ten play this season. In Coffey's 11 double-double games this season, she is averaging 13.8 points and 12.5 rebounds. Ashley Deary ranks second on the team with two double-doubles (at Chicago State and vs. Michigan State), while Alex Cohen (at Chicago State) and Lauren Douglas (at DePaul) each have one.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Overall Record: 14-10, 6-7 Big Ten
All-Time Series Record: NU leads, 36-31
Previous Meeting: U-M won, 73-66, at Welsh-Ryan Arena (Jan. 17)
Notable: The Wolverines enter the weekend with the lowest field goal percentage defense in the Big Ten (.443), but they make up for it by shooting 36.8 percent from beyond the arc, ranking second in the league. Michigan also does well on the boards with a rebounding margin of +4.0, ranking third in the Big Ten there. Cyesha Goree is the top scorer and rebounder with 14.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, respectively. She scored 18 and added six rebounds in the first meeting against Northwestern, while Siera Thompson (11.5 ppg) and Shannon Smith (14.3 ppg) netted 20 apiece.
UP NEXT
Northwestern returns home on Wednesday, Feb. 18, where it will play three of its final four regular season games. The Wildcats welcome nationally-ranked Nebraska to Welsh-Ryan Arena next week before visiting Wisconsin at the Kohl Center on Sunday, Feb. 22. The 'Cats host Big Ten newcomers Rutgers (Feb. 26) and Maryland (March 1) to close out the regular season.
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