Jan. 6, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

GET TO KNOW HER
Wendy Ausdemore, Iowa
When Wendy Ausdemore is not in the gym, she can be seen in the business building or walking around campus listening to the Rascal Flatts on her iPod.  She also enjoys scrap booking and coordinating and participating in community service activities in her spare time.  Her favorite part of growing up on a farm in Southwest Iowa was driving the tractors and hauling in corn with her dad and brother.

Still Streaking
With a win over Iowa on Sunday, Indiana extended its winning streak to nine games, marking the program’s longest since the 1998-99 season. The streak is also tied for ninth in the NCAA among active streaks this year. The win over the Hawkeyes also gave the Hoosiers their first 3-0 Big Ten start since 2000-01. Riding a streak of their own, the Ohio State Buckeyes are winners of their last six, which is tied for the 12th longest active streak in the NCAA. OSU is off to a 3-0 start in conference play for the first time since 2006-07, when the team opened the Big Ten slate 13-0.

Perfect 10s
With wins on Saturday and Sunday respectively, Minnesota and Indiana became the latest Big Ten teams to reach 10 wins on the season, joining Ohio State (12-2) and Wisconsin (12-3). The Golden Gophers’ triumph came at Illinois in a 52-48 decision, marking Minnesota’s first game of the season that was decided by margin of five points or fewer. The Hoosiers earned a victory at home against Iowa in a 76-54 contest, improving their record to 4-0 in games decided by 21 points or more. Four Big Ten teams boasted 10 or more wins at this same point last season, but none of those teams claimed 12 wins.

Join the Club
Indiana senior Whitney Thomas became the 20th player in Indiana women’s basketball history to reach the 1,000 career points milestone when she dropped 16 against Iowa on Sunday. With 918 career rebounds to her name, she is just 82 boards away from becoming the second ever Hoosier with 1,000 career points and rebounds. Thomas is one of nine active Big Ten players with 1,000 or more career points and one of five to reach the milestone during the 2008-09 campaign.

‘Cats are Wild
With a win over Wisconsin, who was receiving votes in the AP and coaches polls, Northwestern recorded its fifth win of the year, tying its mark for the entire 2007-08 season. Behind the guidance of first-year head coach Joe McKeown, the Wildcats are averaging over seven points more per game, are shooting at a percentage of .071 higher and are allowing opponents three fewer points per game than the 2007-08 Wildcats did at the end of last season.

Going Out with a Bang
Purdue closed out the Big Ten’s non-conference season with a convincing 66-55 win over No. 8/4 Texas on Monday in Mackey Arena. The Big Ten ends the early-season schedule with a 75-43 record (.636) over non-conference opponents, including a 6-17 mark against ranked teams. The Big Ten went 3-10 against top-10 teams, with each of those wins coming by an unranked Big Ten squad. Five different conference teams posted at least one win over a ranked non-conference opponent, including Michigan who recorded victories over then-No. 12/13 Vanderbilt and then-No. 8/8 Notre Dame.

On the Edge
A pair of Big Ten players are on the verge of reaching career milestones as Indiana’s Kim Roberson is one swipe away from joining the Big Ten’s 200 career steals club, and Penn State’s Brianne O’Rourke is one helper away from becoming a member of the conference’s 500 career assists club. Roberson looks to become the Big Ten’s sixth active player with 200 or more steals, while O’Rourke would become the only active conference player with 500 career assists. O’Rourke would become just the 22nd all-time member of the club and the fourth Lady Lion on the list.

Keeping the Pace
Ohio State sophomore Jantel Lavender has the chance to become the quickest Ohio State women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 career points. Lavender has tallied 856 points in 45 career games with a season average of 22.1 points per game. At that current pace, Lavender would tie former Buckeye great Katie Smith, who needed 52 games to reach the milestone. Other top Buckeyes on the list include Frani Washington (56 games) and Jessica Davenport (63). In her 45 career games, Lavender has never scored less than 10 points in a game, and has recorded 20 or more points in a game on 24 occasions, including 11 games this season.

Avoiding the Sophomore Slump
Sophomores rank among the Big Ten’s best in several different statistical categories, including scoring, rebounding, field-goal percentage and blocked shots. Leading the way is Ohio State’s Jantel Lavender, who is first in points (22.1 ppg) and boards (11.1 rpg). At this point in her freshman season, the Buckeye was averaging 16.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest. Northwestern’s Amy Jaeschke ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 16.9 ppg and third with 9.6 rpg, compared to this point last season when she was averaging 9.7 points and 6.0 boards per game. Jaeschke has also bumped up her shooting percentage from .385 to .505 this year, while her blocked shots total has increased from 1.57 to 3.00. Other sophomores among the Big Ten’s top 10 leaders are Wisconsin’s Alyssa Karel (6th, 14.3 ppg), Iowa’s Kachine Alexander (8th, 7.7 rpg), Northwestern’s Meshia Reed (T-6th, .500 FG%), Indiana’s Brittney Thomas (9th, 3.31 apg), Michigan State’s Kalisha Keane (8th, 2.07 spg) and Penn State’s Janessa Wolff (6th, 1.64 bpg).