Nov. 17, 2008
Box Score
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Northwestern battled 2007 Big XII Champs Kansas State to the final seconds Monday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but in the end the visiting Wildcats used timely shooting and solid defense to escape with a 57-52 win. Sophomores Amy Jaeschke (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) and Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill./Stockbridge, Ga.)) and junior Kristin Cartwright (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) all tallied double-figures for NU.
"I thought our effort tonight was phenomenal," head coach Joe McKeown said. "Defensively we did a great job. I think it gives us a lot to build on. We're going to use this as a positive."
Both squads kept each other close in the early going, until Northwestern used its defense as offensive catalyst. Following a layup by Marles Gipson to put K-State up one, Jaeschke rattled off eight of NU's nine-straight unanswered points to give the Wildcats an eight-point advantage with 7:38 left. NU's swarming defense forced three turnovers during that time while keeping KSU's usually potent offense silent.
But Kansas State outscored Northwestern 10-3 over the remaining 7:26 to take a 25-24 lead into the break.
NU forced Kansas State, traditionally a solid three-point shooting team, to just 23 percent from the arc in the first half and limited KSU to 25 points, something that only happened twice last season. Northwestern's defense also restrained preseason Wooden Award nominee Shalee Lehning to just five first-half points.
Jaeschke was 5-for 7 from the field in the first half, leading all scorers with 11 points and spearheading a 50 percent shooting effort for Northwestern.
Six-straight Northwestern points within the first two minutes out of the locker room forced Kansas State to call a timeout and to regroup. A layup by Reed on the ensuing possession pushed the Wildcat lead to seven, its second-largest of the game.
KSU junior Ashley Sweat provided the response the Big XII foes needed, scoring the next 10 Wildcat points over the next six minutes, interrupted only by two free throws from Northwestern freshman Brittany Orban (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover). Sweat's effort put Kansas State up by a point with 12:39 left.
Northwestern took the lead on a three-pointer from senior Erin Dickerson (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) and built a six-point advantage over the next six minutes, thanks to six points from Jaeschke.
Gipson led the response for KSU, rattling off four unanswered points to pull her team to within one score with 2:40 remaining. Lehning proved why she is one of the nation's top players, pouring in five straight points and giving KSU a 50-53 edge with :45 seconds left. Reed knocked down a jumper to pull NU to within one with :29 seconds on the clock, but the Wildcats were forced to foul and KSU did not miss from the charity stripe and hung on for a narrow 57-52 win.
Northwestern won the battle on the boards and out-shot KSU 46 percent to 43 percent.
Jaeschke finished with 19 points and nine rebounds while Reed chipped in 14 points and three steals and Cartwright contributed 11 points.
The Wildcats are next in action on Thursday evening when they host Houston Baptist. Tip is set for 7 p.m.