Over winter break, the Wildcats got just what they wanted for Christmas: a healthy Amy Jaeschke back in the lineup at center. Nonetheless, the Wildcats have gone 1-4 since her return and are still struggling to find their rhythm on the offensive end of the floor.
Jaeschke, who broke her hand in her first collegiate game against Dayton in November, returned to the lineup Dec. 17. In her absence, the Cats went 2-7 and struggled to muster enough offense. But her return gave NU the offensive pick-me-up it needed to knock off Marquette on the road, 65-63, and snap a two-game losing streak.
Jaeschke led all scorers with 21 points in 38 minutes of action, and her presence on the defensive end of the floor led to a key block in the closing moments of the game.
“It’s really exciting to be back in the lineup,” Jaeschke said. “We’ve really struggled with injuries, and to get people back now it’s great. My teammates did a great job though while players have been out.”
Since their narrow win at Marquette, the Cats have failed to pull out another victory. Despite playing three of their last five games at home, NU has dropped key games against Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, pinning them at the bottom of the conference standings. During their current losing streak, the Cats are averaging 50.8 points per game, while allowing opponents to put up 74.5 points.
“To lose four games in a row, it gets old very quickly,” Jaeschke said. “Everyone’s upset with the outcome of these last few games, so we’ve got to go back to the drawing board and fix it.”
Turnovers continue to tell the story of the Cats’ disappointing season. Averaging 19.2 turnovers a game, the Cats have not been able to take care of the ball enough to give themselves a chance to win. Guards Nadia Bibbs and Jenny Eckhart lead the team in turnovers, but it’s been Jaeschke who has thrown away the ball the most during the current losing streak, with 4.8 turnovers per game.
Despite their disappointing performance throughout the month of December, several players have shown moments of brilliance on the offensive end of the floor. Bibbs put up a career-high 25 points in a loss to DePaul, Jaeschke notched the first double-double of her career with 10 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Illinois, and freshman Meshia Reed had a career-high 24 points and 11 rebounds in a loss to Indiana. With these newfound offensive options playing well, the Cats hope to be able to turn things around.
But the key lies in the play of Jaeschke.
“Right away we’ve improved since (Jaeschke) has been back by coming out and beating Marquette,” said senior Sara Stutz. “She gives us a really big threat down low. A lot of teams are starting to respect that.”
With the 6-foot-5 center back in the starting lineup, NU now has both the offensive and defensive presence to be competitive. This season the Cats have won two of the three games in which Jaeschke has scored at least 10 points. Other outside shooters should benefit from the attention Jaeschke receives, especially Reed, who is shooting a team-high 39 percent from beyond the arc.
“If we can put it together when we are all having a good night, I’m sure we’ll be able to compete every night,” Jaeschke said.
Reach Marcelino Benito Jr. at [email protected]
