Northwestern University Athletics
Thursday, March 21
Evanston, Ill.
7 p.m.
Northwestern
vs
Dayton
Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.
Northwestern Set to Face Flyers in WNIT First Round
3/20/2019 4:16:00 PM | Women's Basketball
EVANSTON, Ill. – Northwestern Women's Basketball returns to the postseason this Thursday when it hosts a first round WNIT matchup against the Dayton Flyers at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
The Wildcats are making their sixth postseason appearance under head coach Joe McKeown, and they hold a 5-4 record all-time in the WNIT.
Northwestern finished 16-14 this season with a 9-9 record in Big Ten play, earning five more wins against conference opposition than in the 2017-18 campaign.
Two Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors with senior Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah landing on the media first team and coaches second team, while sophomore Lindsey Pulliam was a consensus first team pick.
Pulliam ranked fourth in the conference in points per game with 16.7 during the regular season while Kunaiyi-Akpanah averaged a double-double with 11.1 and 10.9 points per game. As a team, Northwestern finished tied for first in conference play in scoring defense (60.9).
The #B1GCats have advanced as far as the Sweet 16 twice under McKeown in the WNIT, in both 2010 and 2014.
Northwestern holds a 4-2 all-time series advantage over Dayton but has not squared off against the Flyers in McKeown's tenure. Their last matchup was a 76-70 overtime win for the 'Cats in the season-opener of the 2008 season on a neutral court in Albuquerque, N.M.
The first round matchup also features the return of head coach Shauna Green, who was an assistant under McKeown in the 2015-16 season, when the 'Cats last made the WNIT.
The Wildcats are 8-7 against Atlantic-10 schools all-time and 5-4 against current members of the conference. McKeown owns a 2-0 record against the A-10, having matched up twice against the conference he used to coach in in the 2010 WNIT, when the 'Cats knocked off Duquesne, 79-72, in the first round at home and St. Bonaventure, 66-62, in overtime in the second round on the road.
Tickets for Thursday night's game can be found here. The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of Toledo-Seton Hall in the second round.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Flyers finished 17-13 this season with a 10-6 record and a fourth place finish in the A-10. Dayton won two games in the conference tournament against La Salle and Davison before being bounced in the semifinals by No. 1 overall seed VCU.
The Wildcats only have two common opponent with Flyers in the form of Green Bay, the auto-bid in the WNIT from the Horizon League this season, and Maryland. Northwestern knocked off Green Bay 57-55 on the road in their season opener while Dayton fell 51-35 to the Phoenix in their fifth game of the season.
On the court, the Flyers are led by junior Jayla Scaife and senior Lauren Cannatelli. Scaife was named to the conference first team while averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while Cannatelli earned a spot on the second team while averaging 13.4 points per game.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
The Wildcats are making their sixth postseason appearance under head coach Joe McKeown, and they hold a 5-4 record all-time in the WNIT.
Northwestern finished 16-14 this season with a 9-9 record in Big Ten play, earning five more wins against conference opposition than in the 2017-18 campaign.
Two Wildcats earned All-Big Ten honors with senior Pallas Kunaiyi-Akpanah landing on the media first team and coaches second team, while sophomore Lindsey Pulliam was a consensus first team pick.
Pulliam ranked fourth in the conference in points per game with 16.7 during the regular season while Kunaiyi-Akpanah averaged a double-double with 11.1 and 10.9 points per game. As a team, Northwestern finished tied for first in conference play in scoring defense (60.9).
The #B1GCats have advanced as far as the Sweet 16 twice under McKeown in the WNIT, in both 2010 and 2014.
Northwestern holds a 4-2 all-time series advantage over Dayton but has not squared off against the Flyers in McKeown's tenure. Their last matchup was a 76-70 overtime win for the 'Cats in the season-opener of the 2008 season on a neutral court in Albuquerque, N.M.
The first round matchup also features the return of head coach Shauna Green, who was an assistant under McKeown in the 2015-16 season, when the 'Cats last made the WNIT.
The Wildcats are 8-7 against Atlantic-10 schools all-time and 5-4 against current members of the conference. McKeown owns a 2-0 record against the A-10, having matched up twice against the conference he used to coach in in the 2010 WNIT, when the 'Cats knocked off Duquesne, 79-72, in the first round at home and St. Bonaventure, 66-62, in overtime in the second round on the road.
Tickets for Thursday night's game can be found here. The winner of Thursday's matchup will face the winner of Toledo-Seton Hall in the second round.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Flyers finished 17-13 this season with a 10-6 record and a fourth place finish in the A-10. Dayton won two games in the conference tournament against La Salle and Davison before being bounced in the semifinals by No. 1 overall seed VCU.
The Wildcats only have two common opponent with Flyers in the form of Green Bay, the auto-bid in the WNIT from the Horizon League this season, and Maryland. Northwestern knocked off Green Bay 57-55 on the road in their season opener while Dayton fell 51-35 to the Phoenix in their fifth game of the season.
On the court, the Flyers are led by junior Jayla Scaife and senior Lauren Cannatelli. Scaife was named to the conference first team while averaging 14.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per game while Cannatelli earned a spot on the second team while averaging 13.4 points per game.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!
Players Mentioned
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