When Northwestern freshman Ifeoma Okonkwo pulled down a rebound off a potential game-tying 3-pointer with 14 seconds to play, she cradled the ball in her arms with a menacing look on her face.
When she was fouled, a great big smile flashed across her face accompanied by a confident nod of the head.
This game was over.
Okonkwo hit one of two free throws to seal a 50-46 Wildcat victory Thursday over Indiana in front of 604 at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
It was Senior Day for NU, as five of the six seniors got to start the game, and two of them — forward Natalie Will and center Leslie Dolland — logged considerable minutes and contributed to an impressive team effort.
“I’m just so proud of the seniors and what they did for us today, ” NU coach June Olkowski said. “They started and then ended the game well.”
NU (8-17, 3-11 Big Ten) couldn’t afford to let up for one second in a match that had 11 lead changes and a dramatic finish.
When the final buzzer sounded, the Cats breathed a huge sigh of relief after surviving a late Indiana run that nearly erased NU’s 10-point lead with 2:04 remaining.
After Will nailed a 3-pointer to push the lead into double-digits, the Hoosiers (11-12, 4-9) started to press the Cats, hoping to garner the same success Minnesota did last Thursday in a 64-61 win. The Gophers used full-court pressure to overcome an 18-point second half deficit.
For a while, the strategy was working as the Hoosiers were able to force turnovers and score in transition, cutting to lead to three in 49 seconds.
A missed free throw on the front end of a one-and-one by Melissa Culver left the Cats holding their breath, as the Hoosiers tried to tie the game on 3-pointers by Jenny DeMuth and Kristen Bodine.
But fortunately for the Cats, Okonkwo went to the line needing to make only of her two foul shots to guarantee a Cats victory.
Although her first shot hit the back of the rim, Okonkwo settled in and sank the second, sending the NU bench into euphoria.
“That shot says a lot about this team,” Olkowski said. “When she missed that first one, she could have panicked and missed the second, but she didn’t. Our team might finally be learning how to win.”
Okonkwo’s free throw shut the door on a Hoosier squad that had a terrible time from the floor, shooting only 26 percent from the field for the game — which included a second half in which they made only 6 of 33 shots.
The poor shooting obscured a great game from Indiana forward Lisa Eckart, who shot 5 of 7 from 3-point range on her way to a game-high 19 points
NU’s offense was only slightly better, but the Cats did get key contributions from the low post-combination of sophomore Suzanne Morrison and Dolland.
Morrison led a balanced scoring attack with 13 points, while Dolland and sophomore center Sarah Kwasinski each added eight.
“We were just trying to attack the post and really hammer it in there,” Morrison said. “Indiana has a weak post and so we had to exploit it. It was the difference today.”
Olkowski was especially pleased with Dolland’s performance and credited fellow senior Will for playing excellent defense.
But Thursday was a night for the future of NU to shine.
Morrison’s offensive effort was complemented by a monster defensive game from Kwasinski, who grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with six critical blocked shots and three steals — all of which were game highs.
For Kwasinski, who was especially disappointed following last week’s loss to Minnesota, this victory couldn’t have come soon enough.
“Ever since the Minnesota game, I’ve been wanting to beat someone down,” Kwasinski said. “But for us to win here on Senior Day and redeem ourselves — this might be the best win of all.”
