Jan. 9, 2003
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Northwestern's women's basketball team dominated the early action Thursday night at Assembly Hall, but Indiana took charge after the intermission and pulled away for a 62-52 victory.
The 'Cats (6-8, 1-2 Big Ten) started the game well, connecting on four of their first five shot from the floor. After eight minutes of back-and-forth action, NU went on a 12-2 run, sparked by a three-point play from freshman forward Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak). A Kristin Ambrose (Minnetonka, Minn./The Blake School) three-pointer with 5:12 to go in the first half capped the run and gave NU its biggest lead of the night, 29-18.
Indiana (8-4, 1-1 Big Ten) cut the lead to seven, 30-23, at the break, and rushed past the 'Cats with an 18-4 run to start the second half. The Hoosiers switched to a full-court press at the intermission, forcing eight Wildcat turnovers and holding NU to 30 percent shooting (8-for-27) in the second half.
"(Indiana) stepped up their intensity and we didn't respond well enough," head coach June Olkowski said. "They started pressing and were much more physical than we were in the second half."
NU cut a seven-point Indiana lead to just two after sophomore guard Samantha McComb (Farmington Hills, Mich./North Farmington) converted a backdoor layup with 6:39 to play. But Indiana scored eight of the game's next nine points to take control for good.
Okonkwo finishing with seven points and a career-high 11 rebounds in 28 minutes of action. Sophomore center Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) tied for game-high honors with 17 points and chipped in six rebounds. Indiana's Angela Hawkins turned in a double-double, with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
The Big Ten season continues for Northwestern as Penn State visits Welsh-Ryan Arena Sunday, January 12 for a 2 p.m. tilt.