Jan. 22, 2004
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EVANSTON, Ill - Northwestern has played three overtime games and five OT periods in 2003-04 but was unable to go 2-1 in that stretch after dropping a 67-57 decision to No. 20 Michigan State on Thursday night. Three Wildcats scored in the double digits in the game and junior Sarah Kwasinski scored a team-leading 13 in the heartbreaker.
"I thought we've played good basketball these last two games," said head coach June Olkowski. "'Kwas' was back in form and created a lot of shots because of her presence down low tonight. They had to respect her and she was able to kick the ball out."
Neither team got off to a roaring start, combining for 10 turnovers in the opening minutes. Ifeoma Okonkwo put the 'Cats on the board first but the Spartans shot back with a 10-0 run to take a commanding early lead. Five 3's regained the momentum for the Wildcats, who led by as many as 13 in the half.
"We went inside out and shot the ball well," said Olkowski. "We were able to get our shooters shots standing still. That was the difference early on."
Michigan State chipped away at the lead and did not NU to take a shot in the final 3:37. An 11-0 run brought MSU to within two at the half, with five points coming from Julie Pagel.
The game was tied four times in the second and Northwestern held the greatest lead-five points-in the tightly played half. Kwasinski scored seven of her 13 game points and Alex Mueller, the 'Cats' second-leading scorer in the contest, chipped in six of her 12 total.
In the waning seconds of regulation with one more possession available for the lead, Northwestern was unable to put up a shot, forcing the five-minute overtime.
The Spartans outscored the Wildcats 14-4 in the extra period to take the game. Kwasinski and Michelle Zylstra scored for NU.
"We came out in our zone, which was the best defense to run against them, but we just didn't communicate where the shooter was," said Olkowski. "They had one shooter on the floor and we didn't do a good job finding her."
In the game Michigan State committed 22 of the 42 game turnovers, but held the decisive 42-23 edge in total rebounds.
Next up for Northwestern is Wisconsin at Noon on Sunday in Madison. The 'Cats return home next Thursday vs. Iowa.