Nov. 30, 2007
Box Score
Watch NU vs. Boston College on NUSports.com (Saturday at 4 p.m.)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- It came down to the bitter end, but Northwestern held on for a 52-48 victory over Central Michigan in the first game of the Mildred and Roger L. White Invitational Friday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Sara Stutz (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South) led Northwestern's balanced offensive attack, notching 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field, including three treys. The Wildcats face Boston College at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday for the title. The Golden Eagles downed Wagner 75-54 in Friday's first semifinal.
"Melissa Miller and Sara Stutz both had really great offensive games tonight," head coach Beth Combs said. "I'm happy they got their shots back on track. We are anxious to get back on the court against Boston College tomorrow."
It took Northwestern three minutes to get going, but once they did, the 'Cats rattled off an 18-2 run to take a 21-9 lead with 11:19 left.
The Wildcats dominated Central Michigan in nearly every statistical category in the first half, shooting 51 percent compared to CMU's 26 and notching 17 points off turnovers. Stutz led Northwestern with nine points -- all coming on three treys -- while Melissa Miller (Bloomington, Minn./The Breck School) added eight.
Northwestern used a 12-4 spurt to end the half, holding a solid 41-18 lead at the break. The Wildcats' 41 points were the most in a half so far this season and the Chippewas' 18 tallies were the least allowed by Northwestern.
Central Michigan opened the second half on a 6-0 run before the Wildcats responded with a 6-0 run of their own. But the Chippewas would not go away, stringing together a 13-0 spurt to pull within 10 with just over eight minutes. Central Michigan continued to stifle NU's offense, holding the 'Cats scoreless for 9:24 while shooting 9-of-16 from the floor. A bucket by Stutz at the 5:15 mark stopped the drought and put Northwestern ahead by six.
A pair of free throws by Shonda Long put the game within two, 49-47, at the 3:12 mark. Central Michigan converted on the back end of a pair of free throws to pull within one.
Ellen Jaeschke (Cary, Ill./Cary-Grove/Air Force) responded with a distant finger roll to extend NU's lead to 51-48 with 1:46 remaining.
The Chippewas missed two treys in the final minute and were forced to foul, sending Jenny Eckhart (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel/Syracuse) to the line. The sophomore hit the front end of the two attempts, making it a two-possession affair with :30 seconds remaining. Central Michigan missed their last two attempts and the Wildcats preserved the victory.