Big Ten Network : Northwestern Top Stories

Purdue holds off Northwestern

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 10:30:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—E'Twaun Moore took advantage of his expanded role in Purdue's offense. The junior guard tied a career high with 28 points to help No. 6 Purdue beat Northwestern 69-61 on Friday night in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals. Purdue improved to 3-1 without all-conference forward Robbie Hummel, who is out for the season with a torn ACL in his right knee. Moore, also an all-Big Ten pick, filled in for some of Hummel's scoring by attacking the basket. He shot just 6 for 16 from the field, but he made 12 of 17 free throws. "I just tried to drive the ball strong until someone stopped me," Moore said. "I had to be patiently aggressive."" Purdue will play the winner between No. 11 Michigan State and Minnesota in a semifinal on Saturday. The Boilermakers remained hopeful of gaining a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament. "I've said a 1 to a 3, no matter what happens in the Big Ten tournament and I'll stay with that," Purdue coach Matt Painter said. "I don't think we're a 1 seed if we don't win it, but we're somewhere in there. To win it, and a team or two has to stub their toe, probably. If we don't win it, we're going to be a 2 or 3. In my opinion, that's what we deserve." Moore played a key role in allowing Purdue to remain a contender for a top seed by getting hot in the first half while his teammates struggled. He scored 16 points and shot 4 for 10 from the field in the first half while his teammates shot 4 for 17. Moore got help from JaJuan Johnson, who had 22 points and eight rebounds for the Boilermakers (27-4). Moore and Johnson were the only Purdue players who scored more than five points. John Shurna scored 16 points, Drew Crawford had 15 points and 10 rebounds and Michael Thompson added 12 points for the Wildcats (20-13). The Wildcats have never reached the NCAA tournament, and their chances took a hit with the loss. "That's not really for us to decide," Crawford said. "We're just going out here working hard everyday, working hard in practice. We do what we can on the court, but it's not for us to decide." Northwestern won the only regular-season meeting between the teams, and the Wildcats looked capable of pulling off another upset. The Wildcats held the Boilermakers to 35 percent shooting, and it took the Boilermakers until midway through the first half to reach double figures in points. "The key for us was just getting a win, not playing well at all," Purdue guard Chris Kramer said. Purdue led 62-58 in the final minute when Kramer turned the ball over on a fast break attempt. Northwestern quickly moved back the other way, and Jeremy Nash made a 3-pointer with 45.8 seconds left to make it 62-61. Kramer made up for his mistake with a layup on the other end. He was fouled and made the free throw with 36 seconds remaining to give the Boilermakers a 65-61 lead. "Nash came down and hit that pullup 3, and we took the ball out and we broke the press, got it to JaJuan and I was diving down the middle and JaJuan hit me," Kramer said. "I don't even know how the ball got up to the rim. I don't know how it went in either." Moore made 4 of 4 free throws in the final 15 seconds to close the game. Purdue missed 12 of its first 13 field goal attempts. The Wildcats made 5 of 6 3-pointers to take a 17-6 lead. The Boilermakers rallied behind Moore, and cut their deficit to 34-30 at halftime. "He killed us in the first half," Crawford said. "They were running a play where he was getting out to the corner and just kind of isolating. He hurt us a lot in the first half and then getting to the line a lot, as well. I think we could have defended him much better as a team." A three-point play by Keaton Grant in the opening minutes of the second half gave Purdue a 36-34 lead, its first of the game. The Boilermakers extended that advantage to 45-38 on a turnaround jumper by Johnson with 11 minutes remaining. "I think that first 10 minutes (of the second half) really was the difference," Northwestern coach Bill Carmody said. "Credit their defense. We just weren't able to score." Northwestern trailed 45-41 when the game took a dramatic swing. Johnson made a free throw, and Luka Mirkovic was called for an intentional foul for elbowing Kelsey Barlow in the chin while fighting him for rebounding position. Johnson made the second free throw, and Barlow made the free throw on the intentional foul. Purdue got the ball back, and Johnson was fouled and made two free throws to give the Boilermakers a 50-43 lead. Northwestern never led again. "We did a good job of keeping our composure and just staying in the flow of things," Johnson said. "It started working out for us in the second half."

Northwestern's late run downs Hoosiers

Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:31:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Northwestern's Michael Thompson scored 11 of his 16 points during a late run Thursday, leading the Wildcats past Indiana 73-58 in the first round of the Big Ten tournament. Seventh-seeded Northwestern (20-12) clinched its first 20-win season in school history and has a date with No. 6 Purdue in Friday's quarterfinals. The Boilermakers are the second seed after sharing the regular-season title with No. 5 Ohio State and No. 11 Michigan State. It was the Wildcats' first conference tourney win since March 10, 2005. Verdell Jones scored 20 points to lead Indiana (10-21), which lost 12 of its last 13 games. The Hoosiers also have five straight losses in Big Ten tourney play. Indiana led for the first 32 minutes, but Thompson's flurry ignited a 20-5 run that turned a 45-39 Northwestern deficit into a 59-50 lead with 4:53 left and the Hoosiers never recovered.

Hulls shoots Indiana past NU in overtime

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:16:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Jordan Hulls scored a season-high 24 points, all on 3-pointers, and Derek Elston scored five of the first seven points in overtime to help Indiana get past Northwestern 88-80 Saturday. The victory ended Indiana's 11-game losing streak and gave the Hoosiers (10-20, 4-14 Big Ten) their first win since Jan. 21. Northwestern (19-12, 7-11) was led by John Shurna with 31 points and Michael Thompson with 25, not enough for a school-record 20th win. The Hoosiers appeared headed toward a victory after taking a 69-61 lead with 3:24 left in regulation. But two turnovers and two missed free throws allowed Northwestern to rally, and the Wildcats finally tied it 69-69 on Thompson's 3-pointer with 1:12 to go. In overtime, Elston and Hulls combined for the first seven points to make it 76-69, and Northwestern never seriously challenged again. Elston had a season-high 17.

Gophers snap funk, knock off Northwestern

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 18:38:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- The Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Northwestern Wildcats both had their opportunities on Sunday, but it was Minnesota that took advantage of them and pulled out an 8-4 win at HHH Metrodome. The Golden Gophers (3-7) had 10 hits compared to the Wildcats's 12 hits. Northwestern (3-7) left five runners on base. Aj Pettersen drove in two Golden Gophers runners. He went 4-5 at the plate. Pettersen doubled in the third inning scoring Drew Hanish and singled in the eighth inning scoring Hanish. Tj Oakes earned the win for Minnesota. He allowed one run over five innings. The freshman pitcher struck out three, gave up no walks and surrendered four hits. Zach Morton took the loss for Northwestern. He went 5 2/3 innings, gave up three walks, struck out four, and allowed five runs. Minnesota closer Tim Ryan got the final eight outs to pick up the save. With the victory Minnesota snapped a six game losing streak. The win was the first for Minnesota since Feb. 21 against Akron. Minnesota's next game is on Wednesday, March 10 at St. Thomas (mn) and Northwestern's next game is on Thursday, March 11 at Unlv. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

No. 1 Northwestern sweeps past Indiana

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:52:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 1 Northwestern came up with a come-from-behind victory at the top doubles position to take a 1-0 lead into singles where it won all six matches in straight sets en route to a 7-0 sweep of No. 30 Indiana Sunday. No. 31 Samantha Murray clinched the dual with her 6-3, 6-2 win over nationally ranked Leslie Hureau at second singles. The 'Cats lift their record to 12-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the Big Ten, while Indiana falls to 10-2 on the season. Northwestern and Indiana split a pair of 8-3 decisions in the first two matches off the courts in doubles play, with the Wildcats notching a win at No. 3 courtesy of Lauren Lui and Stacey Lee over Maria Guerreiro and Charlotte Martin. Indiana's win came at No. 2 where the 24th-ranked tandem of Evgeniya Vertesheva and Lindsey Stuckey broke what was a three-match winning streak for Linda Abu Mushrefova and Maria Mosolova. NU's chances of winning the doubles point looked bleak early on as Indiana's Leslie Hureau and Myriam Sopel held a 6-3 lead over Elena Chernyakova and Samantha Murray at No. 1. But Chernyakova and Murray had had enough and did not lose a game the rest of the way, winning five straight games to secure NU's 1-0 lead entering singles. It was all Northwestern at singles, beginning at No. 3 where Lui jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set against Myriam Sopel and held on to win it 6-1. Lui then sped through the second set by another 6-1 score as the first 'Cat off the courts. Sophomore Stacey Lee followed suit by matching Lui's 6-1, 6-1 score, downing Indiana's Maria Guerreiro. Murray then finished off her victory over Hureau to clinch the fourth point and improve to 18-7 in her senior season. The 13th-ranked Mosolova bested Vertesheva by a 6-3, 6-4 score to claim her ninth dual win of the season while two NU freshmen, Kate Turvy and Brittany Wowchuk, posted victories at fourth and fifth singles, respectively, to secure Northwestern's fourth sweep of the dual season. The Wildcats, winners of 81 consecutive Big Ten dual matches, look to extend their streak in their next match when they welcome Wisconsin to the Combe Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Saturday. No. 1 Northwestern 7, No. 30 Indiana 0 Singles 1: #13 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Evgeniya Vertesheva (IND), 6-3, 6-4 2: #31 Samantha Murray (NU) def. #101 Leslie Hureau (IND), 6-3, 6-2 3: Lauren Lui (NU) def. Myriam Sopel (IND), 6-1, 6-1 4: Kate Turvy (NU) def. Lindsey Stuckey (IND), 6-3, 6-2 5: Brittany Wowchuk (NU) def. Charlotte Martin (IND), 7-6 (4), 7-5 6: Stacey Lee (NU) def. Maria Guerreiro (IND), 6-1, 6-1 Doubles 1: Chernyakova/Murray (NU) def. Hureau/Sopel (IND), 8-6 2: #24 Vertesheva/Stuckey (IND) def. Abu Mushrefova/Mosolova (NU), 8-3 3: Lee/Lui (NU) def. Guerreiro/Martin (IND), 8-3

Pacific quiets Northwestern's bat in 2-1 loss

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:25:00 +0000

FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Pacific Tigers offense didn't make it easy on Gabby McDaniel on Sunday at Anderson Field in the DeMarini Invitational, providing only two runs off of Northwestern Wildcats pitching, but the Pacific starter was still able to get the job done. She threw seven innings on the way to a 2-1 victory. McDaniel was a workhorse in the circle while bagging the victory for Pacific (6-9). She pitched seven innings and allowed one earned run, three hits and five walks while striking out five. Part of the reason McDaniel pitched so well was her solid pitching when facing leadoff batters. She allowed no hits in six at bats. The Tigers held off the Wildcats (9-10). Northwestern was unable to overcome a two-run second inning deficit. The Wildcats showed signs of life in the sixth inning, putting up one run In the inning, McDaniel gave up one run on a Nicole Pauly home run. Pauly had a good game at the plate for the Wildcats. She went 1-3, scored one run and drove in one run. Pacific scored in one inning to claim the victory. The Tigers scored two runs in the first. In the inning, reliever Meghan Lamberth gave up one run on a Kellee Wilson fly out. Later that inning, a run came in when Nikki Armagost singled. Lauren Delaney failed to record an out in the circle for the Wildcats before being replaced. She allowed no hits and two runs. Northwestern's next game is on Friday, March 19 against Eastern Michigan in Columbia, Mo. in the Missouri Tournament. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Illinois men drop NU in Big Ten opener

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 23:30:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. – In a match that lasted just under five hours, the 12th-ranked Illini men's tennis team (7-5, 1-0 Big Ten) was victorious in its Big Ten opener Saturday night at No. 34 Northwestern (7-4, 0-1), 5-2 at Combe Tennis Center. No. 66 junior Abe Souza held off Andrew McCarthy to clinch Illinois' third win of the week with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory. It was Souza's third straight win and team-best 19th overall and he also improved to 10-1 this season at Nos. 3-5 singles. After dropping the doubles point the night before, the Illini took control this time around, as the No. 38 tandem of junior Johnny Hamui and sophomore Dennis Nevolo topped Alex Sanborn and Spencer Wolf, 8-3. No. 49 senior Marek Czerwinski and freshman Stephen Hoh edged Tobias Reitz and McCarthy, 9-8 (3) to secure the 1-0 lead. For the second straight night, No. 43 Nevolo cruised to a straight sets victory in singles, sweeping Wolf, 6-2, 6-1, and Hoh followed suit with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sanborn. The Wildcats earned their first point of the night at No. 6 singles, before Souza clinched the win. In the final match of the night, No. 106 Czerwinski needed over two hours to rally back and defeat Joshua Graves, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 1-0 (15-13). The Illini return to action in two weeks when they host Ball State (10 a.m.) and Illinois State (3 p.m.) in a rare Friday doubleheader on March 19 at Atkins Tennis Center. #12 Illinois 5, #34 Northwestern 2 Singles competition 1. #106 Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. Joshua Graves (NU) 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (15-13) 2. #43 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Spencer Wolf (NU) 6-2, 6-1 3. #66 Abe Souza (ILL) def. Andrew McCarthy (NU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 4. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Johnny Hamui (ILL) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 5. Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn (NU) 6-2, 6-3 6. Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth (ILL) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Doubles competition 1. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Tobias Reitz/Andrew McCarthy (NU) 9-8 (7-3) 2. #38 Johnny Hamui/Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn/Spencer Wolf (NU) 8-3 3. Joshua Graves/Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth/Abe Souza (ILL) 8-1

Lamberth's arm, bat send NU past UC Davis

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0000

FULLERTON, Calif. -- An exceptional effort by Meghan Lamberth was the key element for the Northwestern Wildcats in a 7-1 win over the UC Davis Aggies (7-10) on Saturday at Anderson Field in the DeMarini Invitational. Lamberth blasted two home runs for Northwestern (8-9). The freshman pitcher went 2-3 in the game with three RBIs and two runs scored. Lamberth homered in the second and fifth innings. The hits were Lamberth's first two of the season in six at bats. The Wildcats scored a run in three different innings to amass their run total and get the blowout victory. In the first, Marissa Araujo gave up one run on a Adrienne Monka single. Later that inning, runs came in when Nicole Pauly grounded out and Michelle Batts singled. The Wildcats offense was spurred by a home run from Batts in the fifth, in addition to Lamberth's home runs. Araujo lasted just one inning in the circle for the Aggies before being replaced. She allowed four hits and four runs. UC Davis showed signs of life in the seventh inning, but by then it was too little too late. After Rachel Miller doubled the Aggies were trailing by seven when Araujo came to the plate against Lamberth with no outs and a runner on second. She singled scoring Miller from second. Northwestern's next game is on Sunday, March 7 against Pacific in Fullerton, Calif. in the DeMarini Invitational. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

NU shuts down Loyala Marymount, 3-0

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 18:25:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- For seven innings, Francis Brooke and Ramiro Carreon engaged in a tight pitchers' duel. In the end, it was Brooke and Northwestern which managed to survive and emerge victorious. The Wildcats mustered 12 hits and, thanks to Brooke's stellar pitching, defeated the Lions 3-0 at HHH Metrodome in the Dairy Queen Classic on Saturday. Brooke held Loyola Marymount (2-8) scoreless for eight innings. He allowed three hits, no walks and struck out six. Seven strikeouts helped Carreon move through the Wildcats (3-6) lineup. He allowed two earned runs on nine hits and no walks over seven innings. Chad Noble helped the Wildcats take the lead for good in the eighth inning. After Trevor Stevens doubled the game was tied when Noble came to the plate against Carreon with one out and a runner on second. He singled scoring Stevens from second. Chris Lashmet drove in two Wildcats runners. Lashmet singled in the eighth inning scoring Paul Snieder and Noble. Northwestern scored in one inning to claim the victory. The Wildcats scored three runs in the eighth. The Lions best chance to score was in the fourth inning. After Jonathan Johnson tripled the game was tied when Lowenstein came to the plate against Brooke with two outs and a runner on third, but he flew out. Northwestern closer Paul Snieder got the final three outs to pick up the save. Northwestern's next game is on Sunday, March 7 at Minnesota. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Dowd leads Northwestern to win over Georgetown

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 16:59:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Behind senior Katrina Dowd's (Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Yorktown) career-best eight points, top-ranked Northwestern kept fifth-ranked Georgetown at bay to take a 15-10 victory at Lakeside Field. The victory improves the Wildcats' home winning streak to 55 games as Northwestern improves to 4-0 on the season. Dowd, the American Lacrosse Conference Offensive Player of the Week, notched five goals for Northwestern, including four in the second half to put the game away. She also dished out three assists in addition to winning four draw controls, scooping up three ground balls and causing a pair of Hoya turnovers. Northwestern took control early, notching the first three goals of the game, including a pair from senior Danielle Spencer (Rochester, N.Y./Brighton) just 17 seconds apart early in the second half and another from senior Kim Pantages (North Caldwell, N.J./West Essex), to build an early 3-0 lead. But Georgetown (1-1), which battled the Wildcats all afternoon, responded with three goals of its own to tie the game at three with 14:31 remaining in the opening stanza. Northwestern answered with three goals of its own off the sticks of Dowd, sophomore Shannon Smith (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) and sophomore Lacey Vigmostad (Northport, N.Y./Northport) to push the lead back to three at 6-3 with just over three minutes remaining in the opening half. Georgetown's Molly Ford found the back of the net with 1:33 left, cutting NU's lead to two, 6-4, at the break. With the game there for the taking, it was the Wildcats that took control, registering the first four goals of the second half and taking a commanding 10-4 lead. The resilient Hoyas kept fighting, however, tallying four of the next five to trim the deficit to three once again at 11-8, and then again at 12-9 with 10 minutes to play. Then Dowd took control. She would score three times over the final 10 minutes to seal the game for the Wildcats and help Northwestern improve to 4-0 all-time against Georgetown. Spencer, Smith and sophomore Jessica Russo (Port Jefferson, N.Y./St. Anthony's) each found the back of the net twice for the Wildcats as Smith also led NU with a career-best eight draw controls, including five in the second half to help turn momentum to Northwestern's favor. Spencer also added a pair of assists on the afternoon. Junior Brooke Matthews (Baltimore, Md./Friends School) and freshman Ali Cassera (Fairfield, N.J./West Essex) each added a goal for the 'Cats while Russo and freshman Erin Fitzgerald (Mt. Sinai, N.Y./Mt. Sinai) dished out assists for NU. Sophomore goalkeeper Brianne LoManto (Miller Place, N.Y./Rocky Point) tied her career-best by stopping nine Hoya shots. A crowd of nearly 900 people was on hand on a beautiful early March afternoon on the lakefront to watch Northwestern extend its overall winning streak to 33 games. The Wildcats also improved to 43-8 under head coach Kelly Amonte Hiller against opponents ranked in the top-10, including a 23-3 mark in Evanston. The game, which was streamed live online at BigTenNetwork.com, will be rebroadcast on the Big Ten Network Sunday, March 7, at 9 p.m. CT and again at 4 p.m. on Monday, March 8. Northwestern remains at home for another week as the Wildcats prepare to welcome Duquesne to Lakeside Field on Friday, March 12. Opening draw against the Dukes is set for 3 p.m. CT.

NU rally falls short against Oklahoma State

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 13:33:00 +0000

MINNEAPOLIS - Northwestern rallied for five runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to tie Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys got two in top of ninth to down the Wildcats 7-5 Friday afternoon in the Dairy Queen Classic at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. The Wildcats fall to 2-6 with the loss. Tyler Lyons, a left-hander who tied for the team lead with seven wins a year ago, handcuffed the Wildcats through the majority of the contest as he didn't allow a Northwestern player to reach second base until the seventh inning. Oklahoma State (3-1) got a run off of NU starter Joe Muraski in the top of the first as Mark Ginther followed a two-out walk with an RBI triple. Muraski shut down the high-powered Cowboy lineup over the next three frames, but OSU was able to cash in for three runs in the fifth to extend their lead. Tom Belza had a run-scoring triple before Ginther struck again, hitting a two-run homer to make it 4-0. The advantage grew to five runs in the seventh as an error led to an unearned run off NU reliever Matt Gailey. After stranding a pair of baserunners in the seventh, the Wildcats were finally able to chase Lyons from the game in the eighth. Jack Havey led off the inning with a walk and Arby Fields drew another free pass with two away, marking the end of Lyons' day. Oklahoma State brought on reliever Don Lisi to face Chris Lashmet and the junior greeted him with a two-run double to get the Wildcats on the board. The Cowboys then made another change, bringing on Chance Deason to face Paul Snieder who drew a walk to load the bases. OSU brought on its fourth pitcher of the inning, Matt Peck to face Zach Morton, but the NU sophomore came through with a two-run single to trim the deficit to one. When Quentin Williams followed with an RBI single of his own, the Wildcats remarkably found themselves back to even. Northwestern had the lead run at third base, but Peck got a strikeout to keep the game tied. Eric Jokisch came on in relief of David Jensen to being the top of the ninth and retired the first two batters of the inning, but two singles and a walk loaded the bases before Nico Rosthenhausler came through with the decisive two-run single. Oklahoma State finished with an 11-6 edge in the hit column. Northwestern returns to action at noon Saturday as it takes on Loyola Marymount.

Michigan advances with win over Northwestern

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 12:29:00 +0000

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- The University of Michigan women's basketball team raced out to a 38-16 halftime lead and weathered an 18-2 Northwestern run in the second half to earn a 67-54 win over the Wildcats in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament on Thursday (March 4) inside Conseco Fieldhouse. All eight Wolverines that saw floor time scored, with five reaching double figures. Sophomore Courtney Boylan (Chaska, Minn./Chaska) led the way off the bench with 14 points on 3-of-6 shooting, including a perfect 7-for-7 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Carmen Reynolds (Hilliard, Ohio/Hilliard) scored 13 points with seven rebounds, while junior Veronica Hicks (Chicago, Ill./Thornwood) chipped in 12 and senior Krista Phillips (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan/Aden Bowman Collegiate) had 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Freshman Jenny Ryan (Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic Central) also stuffed the stat sheet with 12 points, eight boards, four assists, two steals and a block in 40 minutes of action. U-M scored the first four points out of halftime to take a 42-16 lead before Northwestern made its run, an 18-2 spurt over eight minutes that cut the lead to 44-34. A pair of Boylan free throws with 8:47 remaining ended a 7:45 scoring drought for the Wolverines, pushing the lead back to 12. Back-to-back three-pointers from Hicks and Reynolds on the ensuing possessions allowed Michigan to regain the momentum and keep the lead in double digits throughout the rest of the half. After coming up empty on the first two possessions to open the contest, the Wolverines took control early with an 8-0 run in a span of 1:17, courtesy of three-point baskets from Phillips and Reynolds along with a shot-clock beating 18-footer from Ryan. The Wolverine lead increased to 25-9 with 6:38 remaining in the half when Hicks banked in a three-pointer from the left lane line to beat the shot clock. The Maize and Blue closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 38-16 lead into the locker room. U-M shot 46.9 percent (15-for-32) from the field in the first half, hitting six three-point baskets, while Northwestern managed only a 25-percent (6-for-24) clip. The Wolverines took advantage of a 25-11 rebounding edge, leading to 12 second-chance points. Ryan and Phillips led the way, both scoring eight, while Hicks and Boylan chipped in six apiece. The Wolverines advance to the quarterfinals of the conference tournament and will take on No. 2 seed Michigan State on Friday (March 5) at 11:30 am.

Late runs help Wildcats rout Beavers

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 15:39:00 +0000

FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Northwestern Wildcats finished off their 12-3 win over the Oregon State Beavers (5-11) in emphatic fashion on Friday. The Wildcats (7-9) scored six runs in the sixth inning. Reliever Marina Demore gave up one run in the sixth on a Michelle Batts single. Later that inning, three runs came in when Emily Haug homered and runs came in when Emily Allard was hit by a pitch and Aly Euler walked. Meghan Lamberth was solid in the circle while bagging the win for Northwestern. She allowed no earned runs over 5 2/3 innings. The freshman pitcher gave up four hits while walking one walk and striking out three. The Wildcats offense was spurred by a home run from Adrienne Monka in the first, in addition to Haug's home run. Paige Hall took the loss for Oregon State. She went six innings, gave up eight walks, struck out three, and allowed eight runs. Allard, Monka and Kelly Dyer helped lead the Wildcats. They combined for three hits, three runs batted in and seven visits to home plate. Northwestern got the win even though Jessica Smith managed to get through just one-third of an inning before being removed. She allowed three hits and three runs. With the victory Northwestern snapped a three game losing streak. The win was the first for Northwestern since Feb. 26 against Stanford. Northwestern's next game is on Saturday, March 6 against UC Davis in Fullerton, Calif. in the DeMarini Invitational. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Wildcats can't hold off North Carolina

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 12:49:00 +0000

FULLERTON, Calif. -- A heroic effort by Danielle Spaulding was the key element for the North Carolina Tar Heels in a 3-1 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats (6-9) on Friday at Anderson Field in the DeMarini Invitational. Fourteen strikeouts helped Spaulding get the victory for North Carolina (11-3). She allowed one earned run on one hit and one walk over seven innings. Part of the reason Spaulding pitched so well was her solid pitching with two outs. She allowed no hits in seven at bats. The Wildcats offense was spurred by a home run from Adrienne Monka in the fourth. Lauren Delaney took the loss for Northwestern. She went six innings, gave up six walks, struck out five, and allowed three runs. Northwestern is going through a rough part of the season. The Wildcats have now lost three games in a row. The Wildcats last won on Feb. 26 against Stanford. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Northwestern rolls past Chicago State

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 19:14:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- John Shurna scored 16 points and Alex Marcotullio added 15 points on five 3-pointers to lead Northwestern to a 72-49 non-conference win over Chicago State on Wednesday night. Northwestern, which had lost four of its previous six games, was slugglish for most of the first half. Leading 27-25 with 3:19 left in the half, Northwestern (19-11) pulled away with a 10-0 run. Marcotullio and Jeremy Nash made back-to-back 3-pointers and Davide Curletti hit a pair of free throws to give the Wildcats a 37-25 lead. Christian Wall made a runner for Chicago State as time expired in the first half to cut the Northwestern lead to 37-27. Antonio Lofton and Kabangu Tshinga Kasamba led Chicago State (8-22) with 12 points each.

Seton Hall tops Northwestern for first win

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 19:07:00 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG, Flor. -- Jon Prosinski and three Pirates relief pitchers teamed up to shut down the Wildcats as Seton Hall won 3-0 at Al Lang Field in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge on Sunday. The four Seton Hall (1-5) pitchers combined to allow five hits. Prosinski kept the Wildcats (3-4) off the board during his six innings of work. He struck out six and allowed two walks and four hits. The Wildcats were hurt by a number of miscues in the field. Northwestern committed three errors which led to three runs for Seton Hall. Sean Gusrang had a good game at the plate for the Pirates. He went 1-4, scored no runs and drove in one run. Gusrang singled in the first inning. Zach Morton took the loss for Northwestern. He went six innings, gave up no walks, struck out three, and allowed two runs. The Wildcats best chance to score was in the sixth inning. After Chris Kontos singled and Arby Fields walked, the Wildcats were trailing by two when Chad Noble came to the plate against Prosinski with two outs and runners on first and second, but he struck out. Seton Hall closer Matt Singer got the final three outs to pick up the save. Northwestern's next game is on Friday, March 5 against Oklahoma State in Minneapolis, Minn. in the Dairy Queen Classic. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Fighting Illini tame Wildcats for 21st straight time, 58-48

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:39:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. - The Illinois women's basketball team just seems to have Northwestern's number. Jolette Law's Fighting Illini defeated the Wildcats for the 21st consecutive time with a convincing 58-48 win at Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday afternoon in Evanston. Senior Lacey Simpson led the way with 17 points and six steals, while fellow senior Jenna Smith had 15 points and 12 boards for the Orange and Blue, who close the regular season tied for eighth place in the Big Ten with a 15-13 overall record and a 7-11 conference mark. The Illini head in to next week's Big Ten Tournament on a roll, having won two straight after a 61-57 win over Purdue last Sunday and today's victory. Illinois will be in familiar territory in Indianapolis as it will be the No. 9 seed for the third consecutive season. On Sunday in Evanston the Illini were focused right from the start, especially on the defensive end of the floor. Illinois jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes and used a 15-3 run later in the half to open up a 20-8 lead following a steal and fast break lay-up by freshman Karisma Penn with 4:45 left to play. From the 14:54 mark to the 3:31 mark of the first half, the Illini defense allowed just one Northwestern field goal. For the half, the Illinois defense limited the hosts to just 17 percent shooting en route to a 23-13 halftime lead. The 13 points allowed are a season-low for an Illinois opponent. Northwestern (16-13, 7-11) opened the second half with a three-point play to close with in 23-16, but Illinois countered with an 11-0 run, capped by a steal and fast break lay-up by Simpson, to take command of the game, 34-16, with 16:34 remaining. The 'Cats would get no closer than nine the rest of the way as Illinois shot lights-out in the second half, hitting 12-of-19 from the field (63.2 percent). For the game, Illinois shot 52.4 percent and held NU to 28.1 percent from the field. The Illini also dominated in the paint, outscoring the 'Cats 28-10 inside, and held a 12-0 edge in fast break points thanks mostly to Simpson's six steals and Penn's three thefts. Simpson was magnificent, hitting 7-of-12 from the field for her game-high 17 points, while also adding seven rebounds, six steals, three assists and three blocks. She locked up her second straight Big Ten steals title and climbed up to fourth on the Big Ten's career steals list. Smith, meanwhile, picked up her 16th double-double of the season and moved up two spots on the Big Ten career rebounding list. She's now the third-best rebounder in the history of the conference with 1,138 career boards. The Illini freshmen also came up big in today's game. Penn had a solid all-around game with 10 points, six rebounds, a career-high six assists, four blocks and three steals. She moved into sole possession of the Illini freshman blocks record as she now has 43 to move out of a tie with Smith and Simpson for the record. Adrienne GodBold also provided a spark with seven first-half points during a stretch when the UI offense needed a boost. Kersten Magrum also contributed to the win with four points, while sophomore Lydia McCully had a solid game with five points, four rebounds and three assists while playing a full 40 minutes. The Illinois win evened up the overall season series between the two teams at 31-31, though Illinois has dominated lately, winning 24 of the last 25 against the Wildcats. The Fighting Illini will now head to the Big Ten Tournament March 4-7 in Indianapolis to try to earn the Big Ten's automatic NCAA Tournament bid. Illinois will be the No. 9 seed and will face No. 8 seed Indiana the third and final game on Thursday (approx. 4:30 p.m. ET). Postgame Notes - Feb. 28 at Northwestern 1. Illinois beat Northwestern on Sunday for the 21st straight time, extending the longest current winning streak of one Big Ten team over another. The Illini have now won 11 straight road games vs. the Wildcats and how not dropped a game to NU in Evanston in 14 years. 2. Jenna Smith's 15 points bring her career total to 2,051. She now needs 39 points to break Ashley Berggren's Illinois career scoring record of 2,089. She also passed former Minnesota Golden Gopher Laura Coenen (2,044) for 12th on the Big Ten's all-time scoring list. 3. Smith's 12 rebounds bring her career total to 1,138 and move her into third place on the Big Ten's career rebounding list past former Michigan State Spartan Liz Shimek (1,130) and former Minnesota Golden Gopher Molly Tadich (1,135). 4. Smith's double-double was her 16th of the season and the 48th of her career. 5. Lacey Simpson had three blocks to bring her career total to 159, which moves her sole possession of second on the UI career blocks list. She entered the game tied with Kendra Gantt. She is now behind only Smith's Illinois career record of 213. 6. Simpson had six steals on the day to up her career total to 348 and move her into fourth on the Big Ten career steals list. She passed former Michigan State guard Kristin Haynie's total of 346 today. 7. Simpson's 17 points up her career scoring total to 1,104 points and move her past Alicia Sheeler (1,091) and into 19th place on the Illinois all-time scoring list. 8. Karisma Penn became Illinois' freshman blocked shots record holder with four swats on the day. She now has 43 blocks on the season to move out of a tie with Smith and Simpson for the Illini rookie record.

No. 5 UCLA tops No. 23 NU in 8 innings

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 10:48:00 +0000

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif. -- It took eight innings but the No. 5 UCLA Bruins managed to put away the No. 23 Northwestern Wildcats, 10-5 on Saturday at Wrigley Field in the Cathedral City Classic. After Andrea Harrison walked the game was tied when GiOnna DiSalvatore came to the plate against Lauren Delaney with two outs and runners on first and third. She singled scoring Kaila Shull from third, which gave the Bruins the lead for good. Emily Haug drove in three Wildcats (6-8) runners. Haug homered in the fifth inning scoring Michelle Batts and Emily Allard. Megan Langenfeld earned the victory for UCLA (14-2). She allowed five runs over eight innings. The pitcher struck out six, gave up three walks and surrendered 10 hits. Delaney took the loss for Northwestern. She went eight innings, gave up seven walks, struck out eight, and allowed 10 runs. The Bruins knocked in five runs in the eighth. In addition to DiSalvatore's single, Delaney gave up two runs on a Langenfeld single. Later that inning, one more run came in when Samantha Camuso's single and one run scored when Charlotte Dolan reached on a fielding error by shortstop Allard. Northwestern's next game is on Sunday, Feb. 28 against UC Davis in Cathedral City, Calif. in the Cathedral City Classic. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Homers lift Northwestern past Rutgers

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 17:54:00 +0000

ST. PETERSBURG, Flor. -- Big blasts bring people to their feet and the Northwestern Wildcats certainly provided a bunch of entertainment on Saturday at Naimoli Complex in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. Four home runs powered Northwestern to a 7-5 victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-5). Home runs came from Quentin Williams in the second, Chad Noble in the third, Chris Kontos in the sixth and Chris Lashmet in the seventh. Williams drove in two Wildcats (2-4) runners. He went 3-4 at the plate. Francis Brooke earned the victory for Northwestern. He allowed four runs over eight innings. The sophomore pitcher struck out two, gave up two walks and surrendered eight hits. Rutgers was unable to make good contact against Matt Gailey. The Scarlet Knights managed no hits off of the junior pitcher. Gailey allowed no earned runs, one walk and struck out two during his two-thirds of an inning of work. Dennis Hill took the loss for Rutgers. He went five innings, gave up one walk, struck out one, and allowed five runs. Noble, Lashmet and Kontos helped lead the Wildcats. They combined for five hits, three runs batted in and three visits to home plate. Northwestern's next game is on Sunday, Feb. 28 against Seton Hall in St. Petersburg, Fla. in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. Powered by Narrative Science Inc.

Northwestern rolls past Iowa 74-57

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 20:15:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. (AP)—John Shurna scored 18 of his 29 points in the first half to lead Northwestern to an easy 74-57 victory over Iowa on Thursday night. After suffering a 78-65 loss at Iowa on Feb. 10, Northwestern (18-10, 7-9 Big Ten) took a big lead in the opening minutes with a number of easy backdoor layups, then Shurna followed with a barrage of 3-pointers. Shurna, who entered the night fourth in scoring in the Big Ten, gave the Wildcats a 23-9 lead with back-to-back 3s and Luka Mirkovic extended the lead to 31-11 on a rebound basket. Northwestern made 11 of its first 14 field-goal attempts and shot 63 percent in the first half, taking a 39-19 halftime lead. Matt Gatens scored 15 points and Cully Payne added 10 for Iowa (9-19, 3-12).