EAST LANSING, Mich. — The Northwestern women’s basketball team had a nightmare on Sunday.
In front of 8,614 at Michigan State’s Breslin Center, the Wildcats underwent a complete second-half breakdown en route to a 75-43 loss to the Spartans.
But the final score doesn’t tell the whole story. The Cats (8-19, 3-13 Big Ten) were in the game during the first half. There were four ties and 11 lead changes before halftime, and Michigan State (17-10, 10-6) was up 38-32 at the break.
The Cats just weren’t ready for the Spartans’ offensive and defensive domination after the break. Michigan State held NU to 11 points during the second half while scoring 37 itself.
“Holding a team to 11 points is extraordinary and taken very, very positively,” Michigan State coach and NU alumna Joanne McCallie said. “We played an excellent second half and that made the difference.”
NU’s second-half point tally is the lowest of any half all season.
“Our team that showed up today is completely different than the one that’s been playing for the past couple of weeks,” sophomore center Sarah Kwasinski said.
Shooting only 23.8 percent during the second half, the Cats couldn’t keep pace with the Spartans’ 42.9 percent.
“They hit their shots and we didn’t,” Kwasinski said. “Not hitting our shots resulted in us not picking up on our defensive intensity. And when your offense isn’t working, what you need is strong defense.”
Senior forward Syreeta Bromfield, who was reunited with her mother for the first time in three years at the game, led the Spartans with 20 points and six rebounds.
“Bromfield took control of the game and we didn’t have any answer for her,” NU coach June Olkowski said. “I’m glad she’s graduating.”
But Bromfield wasn’t the only standout on Michigan State’s roster. Guard Lindsay Bowen added 17 points and guard Kristin Haynie’s double-double (12 points, 10 assists) also helped Michigan State cruise.
The Cats outrebounded the Spartans 29 to 27. Guards Kristin Ambrose and Melissa Culver and forward Ifeoma Okonkwo each racked up a team-high four boards.
The pressure of Michigan State’s defense in the second half forced NU to take more 3-point shots than the Cats would have liked. Stuck in a tough position, NU finished 0-for-11 from the perimeter in the half.
When the Cats could get inside in the second half, they went to Kwasinski, who led NU in scoring with 13 points for the afternoon.
“Anytime we went inside to Kwas, that was a good thing,” Olkowski said.
The bright spot for NU came when it was announced that a Michigan loss secured the Cats the No. 10 seed in the Big Ten Tournament this weekend. This is the first time since 1999 that NU isn’t the last-place seed.
“It is great to not be last,” Kwasinski said. “But when we look at all the games we should have won this season, let’s face it, it’s not that comforting.”
