By Philip Rossman-ReichThe Daily Northwestern

Northwestern finally had something to cheer about.

After 10 years of bad records and poor teams, the Wildcats started the season 6-1, their best since NU’s last Big Ten championship-season in 1996-97.

Their only loss came on a three-point defeat against Mississippi where they came back from a 21-point deficit.

The Cats earned two votes in the AP Top 25 poll, and the dreams of a postseason and a successful Big Ten season began to become realistic.

Then the Cats (6-18, 0-11 Big Ten) came crashing back to earth.

A single season school record 17 straight losses later, NU’s fast start has long been forgotten.

The 17-game losing streak has been marked by blowout after blowout. Eight of NU’s 11 Big Ten losses have been by more than 20 points – three by more than 30.

NU posted its lowest point total in a single game since their inaugural season in 1975-76 in a 72-30 loss at No. 12 Purdue.

“I’d say this is the worst loss this team has had,” coach Beth Combs said afterwards. “We did not come out … the way we needed to. This is not a day we’d like to remember in the near future.”

The Cats have been struggling to find any form of consistency. They averaged roughly 18 turnovers -10th in the Big Ten – and shoot 39.9 percent – also 10th in the Big Ten.

NU looked like it might snap out of its losing streak against Iowa, but freshman Beth Marshall’s last-second shot sailed over the basket, and NU lost by two.

Against Minnesota in the next game, the Cats lost a seven point lead and had tied the game on junior guard Sara Stutz’s free throws. They got a defensive stop, but Bibbs fumbled the outlet pass into the hands of Minnesota’s Emily Fox who drained a jumper to give the Gophers a 65-63 win.

Combs used the same starting lineup in every game until the streak reached 12 games. Against Wisconsin, she benched all five starters – including senior captain and leading scorer A.J. Glasauer – to try and pull the Cats out of the slump. Marshall replaced junior Nadia Bibbs as the starting point guard.

“Because we won six games all year and our upperclassmen have been two-year starters for us and they weren’t getting it done,” Combs said after the Cats’ home loss to Wisconsin. “It was time for a change.”

Though the Cats have cut their turnovers in half the past two games, they are struggling to score. NU is 10th in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 58.5 points per game. The Cats scored 68.3 points per game in their first seven.

Despite the losing streak, NU has matched last year’s win total. With upcoming games against Michigan and Indiana – the two teams immediately ahead of them in the standings – the Cats have a chance to increase their win total for the second straight year.

Five games remain for the Cats before the Big Ten tournament. Although they have matched their win total from last season and aren’t the doormat they may have once been, finding that seventh win would be the only positive for a team tired of small in-game victories.

The Daily’s Matt Baker contributed to this report.

Reach Philip Rossman-Reich [email protected].