Feb. 28, 2006

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Senior Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak) was named to 2005-06 All-Big Ten Team as voted by the conference coaches and by the media, it was announced on Tuesday. Okonkwo, an honorable mention selection, becomes the first Wildcat to garner league accolades since Sarah Kwasinski was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten in 2002 and the 40th all-league selection in school history.

Okonkwo is currently tied for eighth in scoring in the conference with 14.6 ppg and is sixth in the league in rebounds with 7.1 caroms per contest. She also ranks in the conference's top ten in field goal percentage, steals and offensive and defensive rebounds. Okonkwo has been NU's leading scorer all season and currently leads the 'Cats in steals, rebounds and shooting percentage.

Also this season, she became the newest member of NU's 1,000 point club and has posted 1,086 career points going into the Big Ten Tournament this week.

Okonkwo has cracked the NU record books twice this season, recording the ninth-best Wildcat single-game field goal percentage with her 12-for-14 (.857) effort against Illinois-Chicago. She also etched her name in the record books by hitting 13-of-14 from the free throw line against Michigan, tying her for fifth on the free throws made list and eighth on the single-game free throw percentage.

Okonkwo and the 10th-seeded Wildcats take on intra-state rival and seventh-seed Illinois at approximately 4:30 p.m. CST on Thursday in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis.