There typically isn’t much good that comes from a 42-point home loss at the hands of a Big Ten rival.
But the Northwestern women’s basketball team (7-7, 0-3 Big Ten) gained something against the No. 22 Buckeyes (10-4, 2-1) on Sunday.
The Wildcats found Breanne Smilie, a 5-foot-7 freshman from Elk Grove, Ill., who got an unexpected surprise just moments before the game began.
“In the middle of warmups, coach (June) Olkowski called me over and said, ‘We’re going with you today, ‘” Smilie said. “I wasn’t that nervous. I knew what I had to do.”
Although she didn’t score any points, Smilie played with a veteran’s poise and had a solid defensive showing to impress in her first-ever start.
Although the Buckeyes scored 77 points, Smilie held Ohio State junior Caity Matter to two second-half points, after she recorded 19 in the first.
On a day when veterans looked like freshmen — most notably junior Melissa Culver with eight turnovers and junior Sarah Kwasinski shooting 2 for 12 — Smilie stepped up and took control.
While many Cats looked lost, Smilie led NU up the court on almost every possession. She worked well in Olkowski’s version of the Princeton Offense and racked up a team-high five assists.
“She was our bright spot today, ” Olkowski said.
The Cats became frustrated multiple times, but Smilie seemed to keep her head on straight, committing just three turnovers in her game-leading 39 minutes of play.
With 4:30 to go in the first half, Smilie chased down Ohio State junior Beth Howe, who was on a fastbreak. Instead of jumping on Howe’s back as she went up for the left-hander, Smilie remained grounded, boxing out another Ohio State player to prepare for a possible rebound.
This wasn’t the type of decision-making expected from a freshman whose team was already down by more than 20 points.
“We knew going into the game that she was a great shooter, so I don’t know why we weren’t able to stop her in the first half,” Smilie said. “But we all got real upset, and we knew what we had to do in the second half.”
Smilie certainly stepped up for the injured Samantha McComb, who usually runs the point.
And with just one start under her belt, the Cats are optimistic about Smilie’s upside.
“We need to take better care of the ball, and Smilie got in and started because she hasn’t turned the ball over in practice,” Olkowski said. “(The stats sheet) says she had three turnovers today. But it doesn’t seem like she had three turnovers.”
