Feb. 28, 2006

EVANSTON, Ill. -- With the 2005-06 regular season complete, the Wildcats now turn their attention to the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis. Northwestern, the 10th seed, will face seventh-seeded Illinois in a 4:30 CST contest Thursday afternoon at Conseco Fieldhouse. The winner of Thursday's game will meet No. 2 Purdue in a 5 p.m CST game on Friday.

"The tournament gives us a chance to start a new season," said head coach Beth Combs. "I am very pleased with the progress we've made this year and we hope to put it all together on Thursday."

Here's a brief background on how these two teams fared against eachother up to this point:

Overall Series Record: NU leads, 31-24
Streak: Illinois, 14
This Season: Thursday's contest will be the 55th meeting between these two in-state rivals with Northwestern leading the all-time series, 31-24. Both regular-season games have been tight, especially the last time out when Illinois and NU met in Evanston. The Fighting Illini eeked out a 60-59 victory, taking the lead on a free throw with 2.6 seconds left. The Illini edged out NU, 64-55, the first time these two squads met back in January at Assembly Hall.
Big Ten Tournament History: Northwestern and Illinois have met twice in Big Ten Tourney history, both times in the opening round. Last season, No. 7 Illinois bested the tenth-seeded 'Cats, 66-43. The two teams also met in the first round of the 2001 tournament, with the sixth-seeded Illini advancing to the quarterfinal round with a 75-60 victory.
2005-06 Recaps: Game 1: Jan. 8 at Assembly Hall. Freshman Kristin Cartwright scored a career-high 13 points, while Ifeoma Okonkwo led all NU scorers with 16 points. Miller finished with a team-high 12 rebounds and seven points. Okonkwo recorded 16 points and 11 rebounds, her fourth double-double of the season.
Game 2: Feb. 16 at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Okonkwo scored 23 points, going over the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season thanks to an 8-of-16 effort including 6-of-8 from the free throw line. She carried the Wildcats down the stretch, scoring 15 of the 'Cats 33 points after the break. The Wildcats also received double-digit efforts from Nadia Bibbs and A.J. Glasauer. Bibbs scored 12 points and added 6 rebounds while Glasauer also had 12 points for NU. She contributed on both ends of the floor, pulling down seven rebounds and dishing out four assists and three steal