Dec. 2, 2009

Clemson Game Notes

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern (5-1) continues to enjoy the amenities of playing a home-heavy preseason schedule as it hosts Clemson in the third-annual women's basketball Big Ten/ACC Challenge Thursday evening. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed live on bigtennetwork.com and carried live by WNUR Radio.

The Wildcats enter Thursday night's contest with a 5-1 record; their best start since the 2006-07 season. The past week was a rollercoaster ride for Northwestern, having knocked off No. 15 DePaul, 59-55, in a thriller Tuesday evening before turning around Friday and dropping a 54-50 decision to College of Charleston in the first game of the DoubleTree White Invitational. The Wildcats found their footing the next day as they defeated Penn, 61-39.

Northwestern opens Big Ten play against Purdue Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4 p.m. The conference game looks misplaced in the schedule as it falls in the heart of the nonconference season. The Wildcats do not take on another league foe until after Christmas when NU travels to Ann Arbor for a Dec. 28 showdown against the Wolverines.

Last Time Out...
Northwestern held Penn to just 16 first-half points en route to a 61-39 victory in the fourth and final game of the DoubleTree White Invitational Saturday evening. Nine Wildcats found the scoring column, led by freshman Kendall Hackney who tied a career-high with 13 points and seven rebounds. Allison Mocchi, Amy Jaeschke and Dannielle Diamant each added eight points to the winning effort.

Opponent profile
Clemson Tigers
• 2009-10 Record: 4-3
• Series History: 1-1
• Last Meeting: Dec. 4, 2008 --Clemson, 78-75 (OT)
• Clemson enters the Big Ten/ACC Challenge with a 4-3 mark on the season, having most recently lost to No. 1 Connecticut in the WBCA Classic final.
• Northwestern and Clemson have one common opponent--College of Charleston--which both have lost to already this season.
• The Tigers are led by Lele Hardy and Shaniqua Pauldo, who are averaging double figures with 16.4 and 12.9 ppg, respectively. Hardy is also leading the team on the glass with 8.6 rpg and was named to the Preseason Naismith Award Watchlist.
• If last season's game is any indication, this year's match up should be a dandy. After battling neck and neck the entire game (no team held more than a four-point lead), Hardy sunk a triple from the half-court line at Little John Arena to tie the score and send the game into overtime. Clemson went on to win claim a 78-75 triumph. NU's Amy Jaeschke scored a career-high 34 points in the game and was also 12-of-13 from the line, which tied a Wildcat record for free throws attempted in a game.

Sunday is Autism Awareness Day
Northwestern Athletics and the Chicago chapter of Autism Speaks announced that the two have partnered to raise awareness of autism this Sunday, Dec. 6, when the Wildcats host Purdue in the Big Ten opener at 4 p.m. Highlights of the event include: • The first 200 children through the doors will receive a free t-shirt
• Special national athem performance and ceremonial tipoff
• Halftime guest: Jessie White Tumblers
• There will be a quiet room available

Spreading the Love
Northwestern is outscoring its opponents by an average of 13.7 ppg. Surprisingly, only one Wildcat is averaging in double figures (Amy Jaeschke with 15.2). Five other Wildcats are contributing in significant ways, averaging eight and seven points per game. Kristin Cartwright and Dannielle Diamant are chipping in 8.5 and 8.0 ppg, respectively, while Brittany Orban, Kendall Hackney and Beth Marshall are all averaging 7.0+ points per outing.

Doing What It Takes
This past week, junior captain Amy Jaeschke stepped into whatever role would most effectively give the Wildcats a chance to win. Against No. 15 DePaul, it was rebounding. Versus College of Charleston, it was board-work combined with scoring, and against Penn, it was giving NU a comfortable lead early so nine different Wildcats could find the scoring column. The junior turned in a game-high 12 rebounds while also adding four blocks and three steals in NU's victory over No. 15 DePaul Tuesday evening. In the first game of the DoubleTree White Invitational, Jaeschke tallied her second double-double of the season against College of Charleston, notching a game-high 16 points and 10 rebounds while chipping in four blocks. Against Penn on Saturday, Jaeschke set the tone early, finishing with eight points, four rebounds and two steals in just 28 minutes of action. On the week, the All-America candidate turned in eight blocks, five steals and 26 rebounds.

For complete game notes, please click on the PDF above.