Double Whammy
Wednesday, November 28, 2001
By: Frank Tormey

After falling to 0-5 after their 67-50 loss to DePaul on Tuesday night, the Northwestern women’s basketball team learned of even more bad news. Junior guard Emily Butler, the team’s leading scorer, will be out for at least a month with a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament.

Butler suffered the torn ACL during the team’s three-game trip to Florida last week. The team is not sure when the tear occurred, but it did not stop Butler from playing in all three games. The team is also unsure of the severity of the tear, and will be seeking a second opinion soon. If the tear is worse than expected, Butler could be out for the entire season.

WNUR Photos: Photo by Jeff Dees Freshman guard Samantha McComb looks to inbound the ball. Click here for larger image.

On Tuesday night the Wildcat offense seemed lost without Butler. Northwestern suffered a five-minute scoring drought midway through the first half, and fell behind by as much as 17 points. The Wildcats shot just 32 percent from the field in the first half and committed 15 turnovers, which led to their 34-20 halftime deficit. DePaul was led by forward Lenae Williams, who scored her team’s first 12 points and finished the first half with 18.

The Wildcat offense slightly improved its shooting in the second half as they shot 42.3 percent, but they committed another 12 turnovers for a total of 27. Freshman center Sarah Kwasinski led the team in scoring with 11 points, ten of them coming in the second half. Northwestern held DePaul to just eight field goals in the second half. However, the Wildcats sent the Blue Demons to the free throw line 21 times in the half, with the Demons connecting on 14 of those attempts.

Lenae Williams finished the game for DePaul with 33 points and seven steals. DePaul’s other starting forward, Sarah Kustok, finished the game with nine points and six rebounds. Yes, she is the younger sister of Wildcat quarterback Zak. For Northwestern, sophomore Michelle Zylstra and freshman Suzanne Morrison both ended the night with eight points and six rebounds.

The Wildcats continue their home stand Friday night against Hofstra as a part of the Roger L. White tournament. On Saturday night, the Cats will compete in either the consolation or championship game. Both games can be heard on WNUR 89.3 FM, with Friday’s game beginning at 6 pm.

Frank can be reached at f-tormey@northwestern.edu.