Teams in the Big Ten have been seeing a lot of Northwestern’s Amy Jaeschke recently.
So Purdue made sure the 6-foot-5 center didn’t do what she has done against so many teams during her freshman season: dominate the paint and carry the Wildcats on her shoulders.
The Boilermakers double-team strategy forced the Cats to look elsewhere for offense Sunday, and Jaeschke’s teammates responded in spurts. But it wasn’t enough to avoid NU’s 11th consecutive loss.
“I couldn’t get up as many shots as I usually do,” Jaeschke said. “It made me have to skip the ball and pass to teammates more which is fine by me.”
Different combinations of Purdue’s front line swarmed Jaeschke every time she touched the ball, forcing her to pass out quickly. Working inside-out, the Cats got the rest of the lineup involved early and, unlike past games, they were hitting their jumpers consistently.
The Cats were down 27-23 at the end of the first and Jaeschke had only scored six points off 3-of-9 shooting. Still, NU’s seven other available players had made 4-of-16 shots and combined to hit 7-of-13 free throws to keep within striking distance of the Boilermakers.
With Jaeschke tangled up down low early in the second half, guard Nadia Bibbs was often left wide open by Purdue defenders. Bibbs made them pay with seven points in the half, including a layup that cut the lead to two points, 36-34 with 12:36 left. Bibbs finished with 11 points and five steals.
“Personal stats really don’t matter because we came up with a loss, so I just tried to come out with energy to get us going,” Bibbs said.
The double team that Jaeschke and the Cats had managed to deal with in the first half proved to be too much for her and the team in the second. This time the double team came sooner into the Cats’ possessions, and as a result Jaeschke threw the ball away five times down the stretch. Purdue had 13 of its 20 points off of turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
Purdue’s constant double-teaming also put extra pressure on the Cats’ bench, which was able to hit open shots in big spots. Reserves Erin Dickerson and Shantina Boyd provided 12 of NU’s 16 points off the bench.
Even with Jaeschke forced out of her rhythm and only hitting six of her 18 shots, she finished with another double-double, totaling 12 points and 10 rebounds.
But as Jaeschke continues to improve, the double team will be something she’ll be seeing a lot more of. And the travel calls, bad passes and rushed shots leading to turnovers will be something NU looks to cut back on when facing the double team.
“That’s something that’s going to happen pretty often because Amy’s our leading scorer, so they’re going to be looking to double team her,” Bibbs said. “So we need to move in and get open and hopefully try to get the ball back into her after she kicks it out.”
Jaeschke said it’s all about adjustment.
“It changes up your game a lot,” she said.
Reach Marcelino Benito at [email protected]
