Jan. 5, 2012
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Minnesota 68, Northwestern 60
Records: NU (10-5, 0-2 Big Ten), Minnesota (10-7, 2-1 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Jan. 8 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.) 1 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Northwestern cut what was a 17-point second-half deficit to three with 37 seconds to play, but Minnesota would not give in and held on to defeat NU, 68-60, Thursday at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Junior forward Kendall Hackney led Northwestern with 17 points, including 12 in the second half, while freshman Morgan Jones added 16 and seven rebounds in the loss.
"We expended a lot of energy on our comeback, but we still had a chance to win," said head coach Joe McKeown. "I'm proud of (the team). We dug ourselves a hole, and it was really hard to bounce back. I thought we were going to win for while at the end. We have to take some of the positives out of tonight and go to Indiana."
After a sluggish first half, Northwestern set out to turn the tide in the second frame, and did so with a combination of drawing fouls and inducing turnovers. Facing a 17-point deficit at the 17:46 mark, the Wildcats outscored Minnesota 12-4 over the next six minutes to slash the daunting double-digit lead to 47-38 with 11:18 remaining.
Minnesota responded with three more points to once again increase its lead to double figures with just under 10 minutes left. But Northwestern hung around, and whittled the score down to seven, 56-49, with just under six minutes remaining. The Gophers responded immediately with a four-point swing to inflate the lead to 11 over the next three minutes.
But the Wildcats sprung to life, using a balanced offensive attack to mount an 11-3 run and pull within 63-60 with 37 seconds remaining when Diamant finished a layup off a feed from Hackney.
That was as close as Northwestern would come, however, as Minnesota's Rachel Banham sprang loose on the ensuing inbounds pass and was fouled in the process of making her breakaway layup. NU fired several three-point attempts in the closing 15 seconds but could not get them to drop as the Gophers held on for a 68-60 victory.
Northwestern returns to the hardwood at 1 p.m. CT Sunday when it battles Indiana in Bloomington.
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!