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No. 25 Northwestern 80, No. 20/18 Rutgers 60 Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Ill. Box Score | Box Score 
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By Jasper Scherer, Northwestern Athletic Communications
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In the penultimate game of the regular season, Northwestern used a balanced scoring attack, pesky defense and a second-half explosion by Ashley Deary to win its eighth straight game and fourth overall against ranked opposition, beating Rutgers 80-60 on Thursday night at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
Deary, along with her 15 second-half points, finished with four steals, while Nia Coffey recorded her seventh double-double in the last eight games. Five players scored in double digits as the 'Cats forced 14 Rutgers turnovers on the way to their 22nd win of the season. The victory marked Northwestern's second winning streak of at least eight games this season, the first time the Wildcats have accomplished the feat since the 1978-79 season.
"Just a great job by our team, great team effort more than anything else. I loved how we closed the game," Northwestern head coach Joe McKeown said. "We played really well with the lead tonight, especially in the last five minutes - that was really important. Tonight, it felt like we found another gear and just kept making plays."
After both teams started slow on offense, Deary opened the scoring. Alert on the boards, the sophomore guard grabbed an offensive rebound off Maggie Lyon's missed 3-pointer and converted on a contested layup.
The 'Cats played lockdown defense from the start, but Rutgers also limited Northwestern's scoring. The two teams combined for 15 first-half turnovers, and neither team shot above 42 percent.
With the score tied at four, Deary found Coffey open on the wing. The sophomore, coming off a 21-point game against Wisconsin on Sunday, drained the triple.
"Nia just went toe-to-toe with them on the glass," McKeown said. "That was really important. I was really concerned coming into this game that we would get really hurt on the offensive glass, and she was tremendous."
The Wildcats continued their aggressive play, grabbing six offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes. Lyon also passed the ball well, with two early assists.
At the 12:12 mark, Lauren Douglas found Lyon along the wing, and she added to her team-leading 3-point total with her first trey of the game. Minutes later, Douglas again showed off her passing touch with a nice feed below the basket to Karly Roser to give Northwestern a 16-12 edge.
"I think we played more our style," Douglas said. "They're a really gun-and-gun type of team and we were able to slow them down and play our game and run our offense."
Though Rutgers played strong defense, the Wildcats carried a 24-18 lead under the four-minute mark thanks in large part to their nine offensive rebounds. They added to the lead with 3:41 remaining when Deary, swarmed by defenders, found Lyon on the three-point line. She drilled the shot for her second 3-pointer of the game, extended the lead to nine. Lyon has made at least one 3-pointer in 33 consecutive games.
Rutgers' aggressive defense initially threw Northwestern off, but the 'Cats' disciplined attack eventually came through. Leading 27-20, Lyon drained yet another 3-pointer - this time from the corner - to give her 13 points. Douglas then came up with a huge block on the other end, and two possessions later, Lyon found Douglas for an easy layup, sending Northwestern into halftime with a 32-24 lead.
Though the 'Cats committed six first-half turnovers, only three came after the 15:25 minute mark, and they also forced Rutgers to turn the ball over nine times. Northwestern also scored 11 second-chance points and held Rutgers to just five assists on 12 baskets.
Similar to the first half, Deary opened Northwestern's scoring by taking it coast-to-coast for a layup. Roser followed with a tough driving layup of her own, giving the 'Cats a 36-27 edge.
Both teams slowed down on offense from there, but at the 16:49 mark, Deary stole an errant pass, drove the length of the court and finished an and-one layup after drawing contact on the way up. Less than a minute later, Douglas also converted on an and-one, giving the 'Cats a 44-27 lead, their largest margin of the game to that point.
"Lanes kind of opened up for me and for everyone else," Deary said. "That's how we executed and scored."
Northwestern was stellar on offense from there on out, scoring 36 points during the final 15:53 minutes. The 'Cats stretched their lead to as many as 23, and Deary proved to be a force both offensively and defensively. She forced three steals in the second half and finished with 19 points in the game, 15 of which came in the second half.
"I'm just really excited we're playing well at the end of the year," McKeown said. "To me, that's the biggest thing."
Five players scored in double figures for the second consecutive game and the sixth time this season. One of those five, Alex Cohen, matched a career high with five blocks to go along with her 10 points.
The Wildcats close the 2014-15 regular season on Sunday, March 1 when the fifth-ranked Maryland Terrapins invade Welsh-Ryan Arena for the first time ever. The game will begin at noon and it will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. Fans are encouraged to arrive early to enjoy a special Senior Day ceremony for Roser and Cohen.
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