Freshman Sarah Kwasinski’s biggest weakness is breaking Northwestern women’s basketball records. NU’s 6-foot-4 center blocked seven shots – a single-game school record – in Sunday’s game against Illinois, and she said it was nothing more than an attempt to make up for her lack of strength.
Kwasinski and Illinois center Iveta Marcauskaite are the same height, but Marcauskaite is significantly larger – and stronger – than NU’s lanky center.
“You have to recognize your weaknesses,” Kwasinski said. “I’m not that strong, and I couldn’t muscle (Marcauskaite) out. I think that’s why I blocked so many shots. There was no other way I could stop her.”
Kwasinski, whose 2.57 blocks per game ranks third in the Big Ten, often gets in trouble for her shot-blocking attempts.
“I try and block too often, and I get called for a lot of fouls,” Kwasinski said. “I need to improve my strength so I can have more options in the post.”
Former Wildcats star Anuche Brown held the previous school record with a pair of six-block games in the 1984-85 season.
BACK IN THE SADDLE: Junior Nicole Daniels logged a lot of time on the bike this summer, and not nearly enough time on the basketball court.
NU’s injured forward spent the summer, the fall and the first month of the season nursing a stress fracture in her left leg and a knee problem, injuries that she called “really irritating.”
Now that the pain is almost gone and she’s back on the hardwood, Daniels has become a defensive force for the Cats.
Head coach June Olkowski has been relying on her in high-pressure defensive situations, even going so far as to substitute Daniels in just to play defense when the Cats need a big play.
“I’ve got real long arms, and I move to the ball with good speed,” Daniels said.
But the White Plains, N.Y., native is quick to point out that she is far from perfect.
“Right now I need to rebound the ball better and get defensive stops,” Daniels said. “I also need to contain my player better. But really, I’m just feeling good about playing again.”
LAYING THE SMACK DOWN: Last week in practice, sophomore Michelle Zylstra and Kwasinski went up for a rebound. Kwasinski came down with the ball, and Zylstra came down with a black eye and a sprained ankle.
That’s just business as usual for NU’s post players, who are used to getting more than a little banged up in high-contact, one-on-one drills.
“It’s incredible how much we beat each other up,” said Kwasinski, who currently has four large bruises on her arms, compliments of teammate Maria McCarthy. “We get along so well off the court for people who hurt each other so much on the court.”
Zylstra recovered from last week’s injuries, scoring eight points in seven minutes against Illinois. Practices haven’t eased up since.
