Senior forward Ifeoma Okonkwo had to learn a new starting position over winter break: the bench.
After starting the first eight games for Northwestern (4-8, 0-2 Big Ten), coach Beth Combs moved Okonkwo, who led the Wildcats in scoring last year and through the first 12 games of this season, out of her starting role for the Cats’ Dec. 17 game against St. Mary’s.
Okonkwo responded by recording 24 points and nine rebounds in the NU’s 77-60 win.
Combs has started Okonkwo on the sideline ever since.
“Ifeoma is obviously one of our best players, there’s no question,” Combs said. “We’re really just trying to put her in some better situations. Coming off the bench, she’s been a big spark for us. It’s had to keep people on their toes a little bit as far as matchup issues. It’s still going to do everything that we need her to do.”
The move was designed to add more dimensions to the Cats’ game in hopes of earning more wins. After starting the season 3-2, the Cats limped to a 1-6 mark from Dec. 3 through Jan.1. The skid featured double-digit margins in all six defeats, including a 41-point loss to St. John’s and a 29-point defeat at the hands of conference rival Wisconsin.
“It’s a step forward but then a step back,” Okonkwo said. “We had a couple good games, like (No. 14) Depaul and (No. 15) Minnesota, but then you have a Wisconsin. We can’t afford to do that, with our team being so young and not having that many wins.”
NU’s main problem has been its inability to put the ball in the hoop. The Cats averaged only 55.3 points in the six losses and shot 32.5 percent from the field.
“We go back over game tapes and our shots are open, we just can’t make them count,” Combs said. “That’s just a matter of our players coming out with confidence and taking the shots with a lot of confidence and poise and making plays. The shots are there for us, we just got to finish.”
The Cats could be in for more trouble Thursday night, when they face No. 10 Ohio State (9-2, 1-1).
The Buckeyes have the best scoring defense in the country, giving up only 48.5 points per game and holding opponents to 37.3 percent shooting.
A vital part of Ohio State’s defense is 6-foot-5 junior Jessica Davenport, a preseason All-American who sends 2.55 shots away per game.
“Jessica Davenport is a fantastic player, but the thing that makes Ohio State so dangerous is that they’re very solid at all they do,” Combs said. “We’re going to make a couple adjustments around Davenport to kind of pull her away from the basket a little bit, but we still have to play our game and make plays when the opportunity occurs.”
Despite the team’s struggles, Okonkwo has flourished as the Cats’ main weapon off the bench, averaging 14.5 points and 7.3 rebounds.
“I try to bring hard work, rebounds and scoring like I always have,” she said. “I wasn’t playing well, so I took (starting on the bench) as a challenge to step up my game even more.”
Freshman Kristen Cartwright has stepped into Okonkwo’s starting slot.
Like Okonkwo, Cartwright said she thinks her new role is not much different from her old one.
“It hasn’t been a hard adjustment because you’re playing the same players,” Cartwright said. “It’s different because right from the get-go you have to get started. You don’t have any time to let the other players warm up and you’ve got to be a person that they build off of.”
Reach David Morrison at [email protected].
