Turnover.
The word itself really isn’t that bad. Saying it out loud brings to mind positive images of starting over.
But for the Northwestern women’s basketball team, which posted more than 20 turnovers for the second game in a row, the word sends chills down their spines.
In a 63-42 loss to Ohio State on Sunday, the Cats lost the ball 22 times. After coughing up 23 turnovers in Thursday’s 72-60 loss to Iowa, a slight improvement wasn’t any consolation.
NU’s recent turnover epidemic stands in stark contrast to its play earlier in the season.
As recently as a week ago, NU turned over the ball 14 times in its 79-63 loss to Penn State. Heading into Sunday’s battle against the Buckeyes, the Cats averaged 17.2 turnovers per game, an improvement from last season’s 22.9.
Although the Cats regret all the mishaps, two give-aways committed late in the first half on Sunday were particularly egregious.
“We controlled the tempo the first 19 minutes of the game,” NU coach June Olkowski said. “Then we turned it over twice and they took control the rest of the game.”
Before those turnovers, NU had stayed within one point of Ohio State for most of the afternoon. But the Buckeyes, aided by errors, went on an 8-0 spurt to lead 21-14 at halftime. From that moment on, the Ohio State lead would only grow.
While a high amount of turnovers equal plenty of missed opportunities for the Cats, the larger problem is that they are giving opponents more scoring chances. Ohio State notched 16 points off NU turnovers. The Cats, meanwhile, scored only two points from the Buckeyes’ 14 gaffes.
Sophomore guard Samantha McComb turned the ball over seven times.
“There’s no reason for it,” McComb said.
The Cats are accepting responsibility for their inability to convert possessions into points.
“Our off-guards need to do a better job,” senior guard Natalie Will said. “We depend on (McComb) too much. We’re as much to blame (as she is).”
In particular, the Cats need to take control of their inbound passing. Miscommunications between NU players caused them to throw the ball out of bounds several times.
“We were tentative in passing,” Olkowski said. “You have to know that that’s the right play, and we hesitated.”
The turnover increase is eerily reminiscent of 2001-02, a season the Cats want to forget.
NU has given away the ball more often than its opponent 12 times in 17 games this season. The number of turnovers has fluctuated between 26 against Ohio State on Dec. 31 to a only nine against Yale on Dec. 6.
