By Philip Rossman-ReichThe Daily Northwestern
The role for Northwestern dramatically switched against Michigan.
Instead of having to fight back from a double-digit deficit to compete for a win, the Wildcats built their own double-digit lead. However, like the Cats’ game against Michigan State on Thursday, the Wolverines wouldn’t go away without a fight.
Michigan closed NU’s 14-point halftime lead to two points and threatened late in the second half. But the Cats broke the Wolverines’ press defense and when senior forward A.J. Glasauer found freshman guard Beth Marshall open in the corner for three with 37 seconds left, she buried the shot, solidifying a 63-54 victory over Michigan.
“We knew that Michigan was going to come out firing in the second half and they definitely did that,” Combs said. “They really did some good things in the second half and we had to hold on and do some better things. We got lazy. We didn’t play as well in the second half. If we are going to continue to win and put ourselves in situations to win, we’ve got to play great basketball for forty minutes.”
With the win, NU matched their Big Ten win total from last season. The Cats sit a game and a half behind the Wolverines for 10th in the Big Ten.
NU (8-20, 2-13 Big Ten) raced to an early lead, grabbing a ten point advantage in the first seven minutes of the game.
The Cats took a 14-point lead into halftime – their largest lead of the game and their first halftime lead since Dec. 1.
After Michigan forward LeQuisha Whitfield opened the game with a jumper, NU scored nine unanswered points and never trailed again. The next time Michigan (10-17, 3-11) scored a field goal, NU had already built a 15-5 lead.
The defense forced the Wolverines into 23.3 percent shooting and nine turnovers in the first half. NU finished the first half shooting 58.3 percent from the field.
Glasauer scored 14 of her 18 points in the first half on 6-of-8 shooting, driving into the lane and getting any jump shot she wanted in her final home game.
“We had a lead, but we still weren’t playing as well as we could,” junior guard Sara Stutz said. “A.J. was kind of carrying us along there. At halftime it was kind of the same mindset. Come out here, we can play a lot better and we needed to focus on that.”
But, the Wolverines fought their way back into the game with a 13-4 run to open the second half.
Sophomore forward Carly Benson’s 3-pointer with 10 minutes left brought Michigan within two points. The Cats and Wolverines then traded baskets until Marshall buried a three from the corner to seal the game.
“This time we didn’t even let them have a chance,” freshman center Kailtin McInerney said. “Even though they did have a comeback at the end, we tried to maintain our focus, which we haven’t done all year. We’re finally starting to do it which is great heading into the Big Ten Tournament.”
Glasauer led the Cats with 18 points and seven assists in her final game at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Stutz added 14 points while McInerney scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds.
The Cats recorded 20 assists on 23 made field goals.
The win shows markedly improved play by NU in its last four games, winning two and competing with No. 24 Michigan State in two losses, falling by seven and five points respectively in their two matchups.
“We had an 18-game losing streak,” Glasauer said. “We’ve got absolutely nothing to lose. So (we) just play our hearts out. The whole coaching staff believes in us and knows we’re good players. We have nothing to prove to anybody, just ourselves.”
Reach Philip Rossman-Reich at [email protected].
