By Philip Rossman-ReichThe Daily Northwestern
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Down by 20 points, it looked as though Northwestern might roll over and accept another blowout loss.
But the Wildcats wouldn’t go down without a fight. Senior forward A.J. Glasauer scored six points and had two steals to cap a 10-0 run and pull the Cats within 12 points.
However, freshman forward Jenna Smith and sophomore guard Lori Bjork sent the Cats to a familiar ending. They made consecutive baskets and then Bjork hit a 3 to put the Illini up 17 as the Cats (6-16, 0-9 Big Ten) fell to the Illini (15-5, 5-3) 77-49.
“We came out with more energy,” Glasauer said. “We were more aggressive. … That’s right there, that’s the game. It’s been a problem for a long time now. If we worked on turnovers and we step up another notch on (defense) it works. We’ve just got to keep it close and make a run in the first half too. We can’t wait for the second half to clean it up anymore.”
NU has lost 15 games in a row after starting the season 6-1. It is the longest losing streak for the Cats since a 17-game losing skid in 2001-02. They haven’t won since Dec. 1.
But freshman center Kailtin McInerney said the Cats were encouraged by their effort in the second half. They dug themselves a hole, but fought back and played even with Illinois after the break.
“We were down by 20 and we made a run,” McInerney said. “That’s a big step for us for the way we’ve been playing. Usually we are down and we dig ourselves a deeper hole. The runs we made in the second half were very encouraging. It wasn’t how they played or the plays they made. It was about our defense and our heart that we played with.”
Glasauer finished with 15 points and junior guard Sara Stutz added 14.
NU kept the game close early, but the Illini pulled ahead. NU trailed 14-11 with 11:55 left, but Illinois pulled ahead 39-19 by halftime.
The Illini pulled ahead because of a strong effort on the boards. They out-rebounded the Cats 50-23 in the game and had a 27-11 advantage at halftime.
Illinois converted their large rebounding advantage into 18 second chance points, helping to keep NU from coming close.
“We need to play with a little more sense of urgency in the first half,” Glasauer said. “It’s not like we can rely on coming back in the second half. When they go on a run, just stop it at four points, not 14 points and stop it.”
Smith had 17 points and 11 rebounds, including seven offensive rebounds for Illinois. Bjork added 16 points and junior forward Danyel Crutcher had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Illinois shot 58.3 percent in the second half to NU’s 32.3, but the Illini outscored the Cats 38-30 in the second half.
“We did some good things in the second half,” coach Beth Combs said. “We picked up our intensity level. We picked up our energy level. I think we played almost an even game. (In the) second half, we handled the basketball (and) put ourselves in situations to score. They shoot 60 percent in the second half and it’s an eight point ball game. We’ve got to come out ready to take care of business.”
Reach Philip Rossman-Reich at [email protected].
