More than 1,000 fans were on hand at Welsh-Ryan Arena on Sunday to watch the Northwestern women’s basketball team take on No. 5 Purdue.
But the Wildcats’ senior day at Welsh-Ryan resembled a miniature Mackey Arena, as most of those in attendance were rooting for the Boilermakers.
With the support of Purdue loyalists, the Boilermakers blew out NU (8-16, 1-12 Big Ten) for the second time this season, winning 80-45.
The Cats stayed with Purdue (21-2, 11-1) for the first 12 minutes of the contest, and kept the score even. But the Boilermakers’ full-court defense caught up with NU, and the Cats committed numerous fouls their way to a 14-point halftime deficit that only got worse.
With 8:51 left in the first half and the score tied at 16, Purdue took control. Senior Shereka Wright hit a jumper with 8:33 left to give the Boilermakers a lead they never gave up.
Wright, who averaged 20.4 points per game before Sunday, finished with 19 points. The conference Player of the Year candidate dominated the lane, grabbing four offensive rebounds and earning 20 free throws, 13 of which she converted.
The Cats finished the game with 22 personal fouls.
“A lot of the fouls were because we were playing Purdue, but a lot of the fouls were because it’s hard to play post defense as a guard,” NU junior Sarah Kwasinski said. “You have to give our guards credit for trying to play post defense, but Shereka Wright can really post up.”
While Purdue was pounding the ball in the lane on the offensive end, the Boilermakers’ full-court press caught the Cats by surprise.
“Once we got the ball in we were fine,” junior Samantha McComb said. “But we couldn’t make a move and get open.”
The Boilermakers’ stifling defense forced 22 NU turnovers, and the conference frontrunner capitalized big time, scoring 27 points off the Cats’ mistakes.
“We were as aggressive as possible with our press, and it made them rush into their offense and make ball choices quickly,” Wright said.
The only offensive threat the Cats offered was McComb, who scored 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting, including a perfect 3 for 3 from behind the arc. McComb kept the Cats in the game during the first 12 minutes with her three-point shooting.
But McComb couldn’t get anything going in the second half until it was too late.
“(After about 12 minutes) they went to their bench and their big players stepped up,” coach June Olkowski said. “They’re the fifth-ranked team in the country, and they played like it.”
As for the Welsh-Ryan crowd, Purdue coach Kristy Curry described it as feeling “like home.”
Purdue even had a student section with more members than the NU pep band. But for a team that typically sees less than 500 fans, any audience was appreciated.
“I noticed it was a packed crowd,” McComb said. “The bottom bowl was full, and I think it was great. Any noise is good.”
