INDIANAPOLIS – With 39.9 seconds left and down by five in the first round of the Big Ten tournament, the Cats went into desperation mode trying to reach any Illinois player they could find to foul. Freshman Kristen Cartwright found Illinois senior Jannell Hughes first. As Cartwright and the Cats watched Hughes swish her two free throws, they felt the game slipping away.
Recognizing the game was lost, NU coach Beth Combs took senior Ifeoma Okonkwo out of the game in the middle of the Wildcats’ foul fest, when her team was frantically sending Illinois players to the line in the hopes of missed free throws and a late comeback.
As Illinois forward Audrey Tabon grabbed a defensive rebound with five seconds left and Okonkwo cried in the arms of assistant coach Tempie Brown, the Fighting Illini (15-13, 8-9 Big Ten) sealed their 60-49 victory over NU (6-22, 2-15) in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
“I can’t believe we lost,” Okonkwo said. “I really thought that during the runs that we made, we were going to go on and win the game.”
Okonkwo did her best to go out in style. She finished with 26 points on the game, including 17 of the Cats’ 24 points in the second half.
Illinois coach Theresa Grentz said she was frustrated by her team’s inability to reign in Okonkwo, especially considering the task fell mostly to Tabon, who is six inches taller than Okonkwo.
“She’s going to the basket, folks,” she said. “Hello, news-breaking situation here, she’s going to the rim. She’s going to come in, and when she comes, you’re taller. When she comes, you’ve got two 6-4 paws.”
For the third game in a row, Okonkwo was the only NU player in double figures. She scored 44.5 percent of the Cats’ points during this stretch.
“I wanted to win,” she said. “I did not want to see my last game played tonight. When I left the court with 16 seconds left, I couldn’t believe it was over.”
Okonkwo’s performance was the ninth time she had scored 20 or more points this season. The rest of the team accounted for five such outings.
Junior forward A.J. Glasauer, the team’s second-leading scorer, finished the game with only six points on 2-for-12 shooting.
“I was disappointed in my own performance,” she said. “I did not make the baskets I should have made. I realize that other players needed to step up to win this game, especially me.”
On the defensive end, the Cats held up well, forcing 21 turnovers and holding guard Janelle Hughes, Illinois’ leading scorer, to eight points. Hughes averaged 19.0 points per game in the teams’ two prior meetings this year.
But while NU contained Illinois’ backcourt, the frontcourt trio of Tabon, Erin Wigley and Danyel Crutcher made the Cats pay. The three post players combined for 33 points and 25 of the Illini’s 43 rebounds.
“The guards were having a hard time finding an open shot so we helped them out down low,” Crutcher said. “As a team we have each other’s back. It’s the same if the posts were having a hard time getting open; we know the guards would pick up the slack.”
Thursday’s loss marked the sixth year in a row the Cats have gone out in the first round of the Big Ten tournament and the second year in a row they have bowed out to Illinois.
Combs expressed surprise at her team’s loss, but optimism about its progress.
“It’s not where I thought I would be. I didn’t expect to be going home tonight,” she said. “But our future looks very bright. I’m very, very excited to get back on the floor.”
Reach David Morrison at [email protected].
