Feb. 23, 2012
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
|
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Welsh-Ryan Arena)
Score: Iowa 70, Northwestern 63
Records: NU (14-14, 4-11 Big Ten), Iowa (18-10, 10-5 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, Feb. 26 -- vs. Michigan State (Evanston, Ill.), 2 p.m. CT
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Northwestern cut what was a 16-point Iowa lead to six points with 30 seconds remaining, but could not overtake the Hawks, falling 70-63 Thursday evening at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Kendall Hackney and Dannielle Diamant paced NU with 16 and 13 points, respectively, while freshman Karly Roser turned in a nine-point effort.
"It was the tale of two halves. We outscored them in the second half," head coach Joe McKeown said. "You can't spot a team like Iowa, who's such a dangerous offensive team, a lead like that. We got it down there in the last few minutes, but they've won seven in a row now and are one of the best teams in the league. My focus is going to go to the last game of the year Sunday where we have a chance to achieve a winning season."
Diamant and Morgan Jones each hauled in eight rebounds to help the Wildcats win the battle on the boards for the game, 41-40.
Both teams converted on their opening two possessions, setting an offensive-minded tone early. A five-point spurt by the Hawkeyes gave them an 11-7 edge just three minutes into the affair, but two minutes later, Northwestern exhibited its defensive prowess. The Wildcats forced three-consecutive Iowa turnovers, while tacking on four points, to even the score at 13 on a jumper by Hackney.
Iowa built a four-point lead twice over the next three minutes, but the 'Cats battled back to tie it at 19 thanks to a lay-in by Allison Mocchi with 8:43 left in the half.
The hot shooting that was on display in the early going -- both teams were converting on 55 percent of their looks through the first five minutes -- dissipated later in the session. For nearly three and a half minutes, the game did not see a field goal. It was not until the 5:02 mark when a jumper by Samantha Logic opened up a 10-0 Iowa run, punctuated by back-to-back three-pointers.
Iowa closed the half on an 18-3 run to take a 38-22 lead into intermission. Hackney led NU with eight points through 20 minutes of play while Mocchi added five. The Wildcats cooled off to shoot 33 percent from the field, while Iowa shot 43 percent.
Northwestern quickly slashed into the 16-point lead, outscoring Iowa 8-2 in the first two minutes. The Wildcats stepped it up on the defensive end, holding Iowa to just 25 percent shooting in the first six minutes and narrowing the lead to 10 with 13:30 remaining.
On the next possession, Hackney drew a charge, which was followed by an and-1 by Roser to pull NU to within seven. Diamant put the finishing touches on a 19-8 Wildcat run with a lay-in at the 11:10 mark to close the gap to 46-41. She combined with Roser to score 14 of those 19 points.
Iowa answered with a 9-2 run to extend its lead to 58-47 with 7:15 remaining. Three minutes later, the Hawkeyes held a 10-point lead, but a triple from Meghan McKeown pulled the 'Cats to within seven and gave NU momentum.
Northwestern cut the lead to six with 2:13 remaining, but was forced to send Iowa to the line down the stretch, where it shoots 80 percent on the season. The Hawkeyes made both free throws, but Hackney responded with a sweet turnaround jumper on the other end to once again make it a six-point game with 42 seconds on the clock. Iowa made all six of its free throws in the waning minutes to seal the deal.
The Wildcats welcome Michigan State to Evanston Sunday afternoon for the completion of the regular season. Tip is set for 2 p.m. and will be streamed online on BTDN. It's Senior Day and NU will honor Mocchi, Brittany Orban, Tailor Jones before the contest.
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!