In their wildest imaginations, the Wildcats could not have imagined how bad it would be.
No. 6 Minnesota (13-0, 2-0 Big Ten) put on a show at Welsh-Ryan Arena Thursday night, handing the Northwestern women’s basketball team (7-6, 0-2) its second straight loss in a 72-40 blowout.
On the opening tip, Minnesota center Janel McCarville easily handled the jump and forward Shannon Bolden sprinted away for a left-handed layup.
From then on, it was clear the Cats would be watching from afar for most of the night.
“We were shell-shocked in the first couple of minutes,” coach June Olkowski said.
“In the beginning, we had too much respect for them,” freshman A.J. Glasauer said. “We were too intimidated.”
With crisp passes and outstanding speed, the Golden Gophers quickly acquired a 25-2 lead just eight minutes into the game. McCarville led Minnesota’s scoring drive in the first half, earning 13 points, most of which came off uncontested break-away layups.
NU’s only real first-half highlight came as the Cats’ band chanted “double digits” with 4:53 remaining, when Melissa Culver sunk a three-pointer to give the Cats 12 points.
With 14 turnovers and just seven successful field goals, NU allowed the Gophers to take a 44-16 lead at the half.
“At halftime, we talked about the Texas-Providence game,” Olkowski said. “I always think that we can come back when we’re down.”
The final 20 minutes went a little better for the Cats, but the effort came too late. NU stepped up on defense, an area it erred in the first half, holding McCarville to two points. But McCarville racked up six second-half defensive rebounds, doubling her tally from before halftime.
Lindsay Whalen, the preseason Big Ten player of the year and the nation’s third leading scorer, picked up for McCarville’s second-half offensive slack.
Whalen scored 12 points in the second session, giving her a game-high 21.
Led by Glasauer and senior Michelle Zylstra, who each had 11 total points, NU was outscored by just four points in the second half.
Olkowski once again pointed to the fact that injuries hindered the Cats’ play. Guard Samantha McComb sat with a stress-fracture, and Sarah Kwasinski was unexpectedly sidelined with an apparent viral infection that kept her in the hospital overnight.
“Minnesota is a No. 6 team, and (it’s) very good. But it’s hard when you’re missing integral parts of your offense,” Olkowski said. “There were kids playing more than they usually do, and that throws off our rhythm.”
Freshman Breanne Smilie produced a notable performance, notching three rebounds and six assistants in her 16 minutes of play. But, according to Olkowski, there is only one way to cure what has become a disappointing start to the Big Ten season.
“We have to get healthy,” Olkowski said.
