Dec. 2, 2008
EVANSTON, Ill. -- Marquette's Krystal Ellis knocked down a free throw with 13 seconds remaining, giving the visitors their only lead of the half, and a last-minute trey by Erin Dickerson (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young) was ruled too tardy as the Golden Eagles pulled out a 55-54 victory over Northwestern Tuesday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was truly a team effort on both ends of the floor for the Wildcats, as four players tallied double-figures and the defense held Marquette, a team that came in averaging 80.0 ppg, to just 54 points, including only 20 in the first frame.
"I thought we played great defense in the first half," head coach Joe McKeown said. "We knocked them off of their game. It's a hard one to lose because we played so well."
Both teams employed a hectic style of play out of the gates, combining for seven turnovers and 60 percent shooting from the field in the first four minutes of action.
With the game within a point at the 15:54 mark, Northwestern put the offense into high gear. A three-pointer from Meshia Reed (Country Club Hills, Ill./Stockbridge (Ga.)) and a bucket by junior Kristin Cartwright (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest) gave the home team a six-point lead. Marquette fought back to within one, but, with the Golden Eagles in the rear view, NU sped ahead once again.
The Wildcats utilized McKeown's infamous blizzard defense to hold the Golden Eagles scoreless for the next six minutes while running off 10 points to take a 23-12 lead with 8:45 left. Marquette could only muster two free throws in the next three-and-a-half minutes, allowing NU to take a 15-point lead; its largest of the opening half.
Northwestern held MU to just six points over the remaining 4:22 to take a 14-point lead--34-20--into intermission. Cartwright led all scorers with seven points while Reed and Amy Jaeschke (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) had six each. Jaeschke also grabbed six rebounds and handed out a team-high three assists. NU's bench came through on the offensive end, contributing eight points in the opening stanza.
The Golden Eagles cut the lead in half five minutes into the second frame, setting the score at 38-31. NU ran off five unanswered points to once again extend the lead to 12 with 13:16 left. Marquette continued to hack into the Wildcat lead, but could never get within five points until the 2:35 mark.
Then Ellis, an honorable mention All-American, took over. The senior hit two free throws and two jumpers over the next two minutes to notch the game at 54 with 35 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, Reed pulled a trey from the corner, which missed its mark. The passionate sophomore then fouled Ellis in a scramble for the ball, sending her to the line for two.
Ellis knocked down the first shot, but missed the second, giving NU the ball back down one with 13 seconds on the clock and no time outs.
After working for an open shot, Reed fed Dickerson, whose three from deep was nothing but net--but just a second too late. The play was reviewed on the television monitors, but the call on the court stood.
Despite being double and triple teamed all night, Jaeschke still mustered her sixth double-digit effort of the season and played a key role setting up her teammates on the perimeter.
Freshman Brittany Orban (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) joined Reed (10), Jaeschke (10) and Cartwright (12) in double figures with 10. Jaeschke's 10 boards were a game-high as were her three assists.
The Wildcats (2-5) are next in action on Thursday when they travel to Clemson as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge