EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Northwestern led by as many as 15 points and never trailed in the second half as it notched an upset victory over the No. 20/22 Michigan State Spartans to open Big Ten play Sunday, 61-57.
The Wildcats held the Spartans to a season-low 57 points and a mark of 29 percent shooting from the field. MSU out-rebounded Northwestern, 51-39, but committed three fewer turnovers and shot nine points better from the floor. NU also shot close to 93 percent from the free throw line (13-of-14).
It was Northwestern's second road win over a top-25 opponent this season after also toppling then-18th-ranked DePaul in Chicago on Nov. 29. NU had not beaten MSU since January 2, 2003, which was also the last time that the two sides met to open conference play. The Wildcats had not won in East Lansing since a 109-103 triumph on March 5, 1993.
After Michigan State opened by scoring the game's first five points, the Wildcats scored the next six, capped by a layup from Christen Inman, the first two of her eight first-half points.
Team captain Karly Roser later sank a pair of free throws to give the 'Cats a nine-point lead with 7:23 to go in the half, but Michigan State went on a 7-0 run to pull to within two points with just under five to go. The Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run of their own to go up by 11 after Ashley Deary drilled a pair from the charity stripe. Northwestern led at the half, 29-22.
The 'Cats shot the ball much better than their adversaries in the opening 20 minutes. Northwestern went 13-for-29 (44.8 percent), while its defense held the Spartans to a mark of 24.3 percent (9-for-37). Michigan State also turned the ball over nine times, six of which came as a result of Northwestern steals.
Nia Coffey had 10 of her 15 points in the first half, while Alex Cohen added four points, four rebounds and three steals in the first stanza.
It was a three-point game early in the second half when Northwestern went on a 16-4 run that finished with Lauren Douglas converting an easy layup with 12:53 left in the game. Douglas' bucket gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the game, 15 points (45-30).
Northwestern cooled off from the field and Michigan State began to heat up. The Spartans cut the deficit to four points with 6:10 to go, but NU's Maggie Lyon responded with her first 3-point basket of the afternoon to give the visitors a seven-point cushion.
Just over three minutes later, Michigan shaved Northwestern's lead down to three points for the first time since the opening minutes of the half. Lyon made a pair of free throws with 2:27 to go to put the Wildcats back up by five, but a layup from Becca Mills 40 seconds later pulled MSU to within one possession once again.
With 48 seconds to go, Cohen began to put the game on ice for the Wildcats. The senior buried two attempts from the free-throw line to give her team a 59-54 lead. She blocked a shot at the other end and got a defensive rebound, but she wasn't able to hit the front end of a one-and-one with 34 seconds left. Mills missed a 3-pointer at the other end and Lyon corralled the rebound. She worked the ball up the floor, through Cohen, to Inman who got a wide-open layup with 18 seconds left. Tori Jankoska hit a shot from beyond the arc with less than 10 second left before Deary dribbled out the clock to secure the victory.
Inman joined Coffey in double figures with 13 points, while adding a team-high eight rebounds. Cohen finished with eight points, seven rebounds, a season-high four blocks and three assists. Deary, who entered play as the NCAA leader in steals, added three thefts to go along with five points and a team-high four assists.
The Wildcats return to Welsh-Ryan Arena to ring in 2015 against the Wisconsin Badgers on Thursday, January 1 at 1 p.m. The Big Ten home opener will be celebrated as Frozen Day. Fans will have the opportunity to win tickets to see Disney's Frozen on Ice and other great prizes from the hit film. Queen Elsa and Princess Ana will be in attendance to meet fans and anyone who arrives in a Frozen costume will be able to purchase discounted tickets for only $3.
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