Numbers don’t lie – 32.1 percent shooting, 23 turnovers and 47 rebounds allowed.
But none of these stats matters as much as the Northwestern women’s basketball team’s 35-point margin of defeat Thursday night.
Penn State (12-8, 4-3 Big Ten) thoroughly dominated NU in front of 5,123 fans at the Bryce Jordan Center, handing the Wildcats (4-15, 0-8 ) their worst loss of the season, 84-49.
“We played well the first 15 minutes,” NU head coach June Olkowski said. “In fact, we even played pretty well the whole first half.”
But that was all. The Cats enjoyed a 20-19 lead with 9:10 left in the first half behind the scoring of center Sarah Kwasinski. The freshman came out hot and scored 12 points in the opening period on 6-for-8 shooting. But NU’s leading scorer never got in a rhythm in the second half and finished with 18 points.
“Sarah is very consistent,” Olkowski said. “She just didn’t get enough touches in the second half.”
Penn State made a late first-half charge, closing out the final nine minutes with a 23-9 run. The nation’s leading scorer, Lady Lions guard Kelly Mazzante, helped the home team pull away.
The sophomore scored 24 points in only 25 minutes to equal her season average. Mazzante shot 53 percent from the field, and she converted all seven of her free throw attempts.
“She’s an awesome player,” Olkowski said. “It’s amazing what one player can do to elevate the team. Her intensity makes her teammates play better and harder. It helps because the team is unselfish and can get her open looks.”
All of the Lady Lions had open looks, as four players scored in double-figures. As a team, Penn State shot 43.3 percent from the field and had plenty of easy chances in transition, scoring 22 fast break points.
When they weren’t scoring in transition, the Lady Lions were adding to their lead from the free throw line. Six NU team fouls in the first four minutes of the second half put Penn State on the line early and often. And the Lady Lions took advantage of their opportunities, making 25 of 27 from the charity stripe.
“The game was called a little different at the start of the second half,” Olkowski said. “We put them in the one-in-one almost immediately.”
While Penn State continued to make easy baskets, the visitors never found any consistency on offense. All 12 available NU players saw action on Thursday, and 11 different players took a shot.
Kwasinski had little support on offense. Forward Leslie Dolland added 11 points, but as a team NU made only 18 of 56 shots.
“We played everyone and just wanted to get everyone’s feet wet,” Olkowski said.
The Cats not only struggled with their shots, but they also continued to give the ball away. Ten different NU players combined to tally 23 turnovers.
Giveaways have hurt NU all year, but the team has usually managed to outrebound its opponents. On Thursday, however, the Lady Lions owned the glass, grabbing 47 rebounds and limiting NU to only 28.
“We never got in a flow on offense,” Olkowski said. “It was one pass and a shot or two passes and a shot every possession.”
NU visits Michigan State Sunday.
