Feb. 19, 2004
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COLUMBUS, Ohio - Despite outscoring Ohio State 25-24 in the second, Northwestern could not make up for a 12-point deficit at the half and fell to the Buckeyes 57-46 on Thursday night. The 'Cats fall to 8-17 overall with the loss.
"I am pleased with the way my team played," said head coach June Olkowski. "Looking at our record, you might think otherwise, but tonight we proved that we can play with great teams. They had easy buckets from the foul line-15 compared to our two-but we played hard, especially in the second."
Senior co-captain Michelle Zylstra scored a career- and game-high 19 points in the contest and tied her career-high of four threes. Zylstra shot .500 from beyond the arc and .636 (7-of-11) overall while grabbing four rebounds to lead NU in that category as well.
"That is the Michelle we know and love," said Olkowski. "She's a pure shooter but has had some tough times this season. Lately she has come up with big numbers and we need her to bring that the rest of the season. It is nice to see her break out at this point in her career."
Freshman A.J. Glasauer chipped in seven points and a game-high six assists. Sarah Kwasinski and Alex Mueller each accounted for six in the game.
Ohio State had two players score in double-digits, with LaToya Turner scoring 13 and Jessica Davenport added 12. Davenport and Brandie Hoskins each had seven rebounds to lead the Buckeyes.
Northwestern was down by as many as 19 in the game and struggled to keep OSU off of the board in the first. The Buckeyes shot 61.9% compared to the Wildcats' 36.0% going into halftime and had ten chances at the foul line. NU did not have a free throw attempt in the opening half.
The 'Cats tried to stage a comeback in the second, scoring five of their eight total 3-pointers, but came up short in the end.
Northwestern continues their road trip 2 p.m. on Sunday when it visits Minnesota.