Feb. 9, 2003
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern scored 31 unanswered points over a 13-minute, eight-second stretch in the first half and defeated Michigan, 67-38, in women's basketball action Sunday afternoon at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
In holding Michigan (11-10, 2-8 Big Ten) to its lowest output since 1994, the 'Cats set a school record for fewest points allowed in a Big Ten game. NU (7-16, 2-10 Big Ten) also matched the June Olkowski -era mark for fewest points allowed, tying the record set Dec. 3, 1999 in a 55-38 win over Princeton. The 29-point margin of victory is the largest in Olkowski's four seasons in Evanston.
"I couldn't be any more proud of our team," Olkowski said. "We executed our game plan defensively and offensively. This is big for our confidence, and that's all this team needs."
After Michigan pulled within one, 7-6, with 14:30 to play in the first half, NU took over. Sophomore forward Suzanne Morrison (Franklin, Mich./Detroit Country Day) started the 31-0 spurt with an inside basket and a three-pointer. Morrison reached double figures for the first time this season and finished with a game-best 16 points. Reserve guard Kristin Ambrose (Minnetonka, Minn./The Blake School) contributed all 10 of her points during the stretch, and added a pair of blocked shots as the NU defense clamped down on the Wolverines.
Michigan center LeeAnn Bies finally got Michigan back on the board, sinking a free throw 1:22 before the half.
The 'Cats stayed poised as Michigan employed a full-court press for the entire second half. NU opened up its largest lead of the contest, 58-22, on a Natalie Will (Nappanee, Ind./Northwood) layup with just over six minutes remaining. Sophomore forward Maria McCarthy (Wyoming, Ohio/Wyoming) set a career high, scoring five of NU's last seven points of the afternoon.
Freshman forward Ifeoma Okonkwo (Spring, Texas./Klein Oak) notched a career-high 10 points to go along with four steals, also a career high. Okonkwo and Will shared game-high rebounding honors, each pulling down six. Sophomore center Sarah Kwasinski (Chicago, Ill./Fenwick) dished out a career-high six assists in the win.
NU's three-game homestand continues this week. The 'Cats host No. 15 Minnesota at 7 p.m. Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Northwestern Head Coach June Olkowski
Opening statement>br> "I couldn't be any more proud of our team. We executed our game plan defensively and offensively."
On the team's play coming into the game
"We've been playing well. Our last two games on the road were against ranked teams. We all made a commitment to ourselves and to the team to get better. We want to be ready for the Big Ten Tournament."
On what a win like this does for the team
"It's big for our confidence, and that's all this team needs. We have a tough game on Thursday, but if we can stay in games we'll be fine."
On the first-half 31-0 run
"I just kept telling them they have to rebound. Michigan was going to go over the back, they were going to keep driving. It's about rebounding the ball in that situation."
On the 40-12 lead at halftime
"We talked about everybody understanding the offense. We talked about taking good shots, and we showed that in the first half."
Game Notes
* Michigan's 38 total points is the fewest points given up by Northwestern in its Big Ten history.
* The last time Northwestern beat an opponent by 25 or more was on Dec. 4, 1998 when the Wildcats defeated Ohio University, 94-59.
* The last time Northwestern beat a Big Ten opponent by 25 or more was on Feb. 16, 1997 when the Wildcats defeated Michigan 104-65.
* NU's 23 assists is the first time they have topped the 20-assist plateau this season.
* Michigan shot 21.8 percent for the game. That is the lowest opponent shooting percentage since Long Beach State shot 21.4 percent back on Dec. 18, 2001. NU won that game 54-39.
* NU is shooting 50 percent from behind the arc in its last three games. As a team, the Wildcats are 21-for-42.
* Sarah Kwasinski blocked two shots today, giving her 96 for her career. She needs 10 more to tie Christina Braden (106, 1992-96) for third on the career blocked shots list.