Northwestern put up another tough fight against a top opponent at Welsh-Ryan Arena, but once again it was not enough as the Wildcats fell to Purdue 67-57 in overtime on Sunday.
Season-best performances from senior forward Lindsay Wisdom-Hylton and junior guard Jodi Howell helped the Boilermakers (11-5, 4-1 Big Ten) evade the upset, less than a week after toppling then-No. 4 Texas. Wisdom-Hylton had her sixth double-double of the year, pouring in a season-high 22 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Howell made all seven of her shots in regulation and tallied 18 points, three times her season average.
Since the Cats have played so many close games thus far, the Boilermakers figured they would be in for one as well.
“Coming in here, we knew it would be a dogfight,” Howell said.
NU (5-12, 1-5 Big Ten) could not get anything to fall in the early going, struggling to beat the shot clock as Purdue (11-5, 4-1) jumped out to a 9-3 lead.
Then the Cats caught fire from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Maggie Mocchi hit 3-pointers on consecutive possessions coming off the bench, and senior guard Erin Dickerson hit one from way downtown to put NU ahead. Sophomore guard Meshia Reed also came in and sank a three, helping the Cats extend their advantage. In all, NU’s bench scored 21 points for the game, while Purdue’s subs contributed just six.
The lead grew to as many as 10 points with 3:39 to go before intermission, but the Boilermakers scored the last nine points of the half to cut the Cats’ edge to 26-25. NU led at the break despite shooting 30.8 percent from the field and getting just three points from sophomore center and top scorer Amy Jaeschke.
Purdue stayed hot at the start of the second half, building a 48-41 lead with less than 10 minutes left. The Cats’ defense tightened up the rest of the way, holding Wisdom-Hylton scoreless until the extra period. NU coach Joe McKeown gave much of the credit for the defensive stand to Jaeschke, who was the first Wildcat in 11 years to be named Big Ten Player of the Week when she won the award last Monday. She finished the game with a team-leading 12 points and 7 blocks.
“I thought Jaeschke maybe played her best defensive game of the year,” McKeown said.
Junior point guard Jenny Eckhart had her best scoring output of the winter, adding five points down the stretch and 12 for the game. Her jumper with 1:22 remaining knotted the score at 53, the last shot made by either team before overtime.
Because of the nature of Purdue’s zone defense, Eckhart said she expected openings for her and NU’s other outside scorers.
“I knew I had to be ready to shoot when I got an open look,” she said.
The two teams traded baskets at the beginning of the bonus period, but Purdue’s seniors stepped up to secure the victory.
Forward Lakisha Freeman, who was just 2-of-9 from the floor in regulation, hit three shots in the extra five minutes. Wisdom-Hylton and center Danielle Campbell also scored a bucket apiece.
Though he thought the Cats had some momentum going into overtime, McKeown said his players ultimately showed signs of fatigue from the comeback.
“We just got worn down a little and they made some tough shots,” he said. “I felt our kids left everything out on the floor.”
Purdue might have pulled away in the end, but the additional period was not without drama. Ahead by six points and on defense, the Boilermakers were called for a technical foul with 47 seconds left. But the referees conferenced and decided not to assess the technical, which would have given NU two free throws and possession of the ball. Instead the refs called a travel on Eckhart and awarded the ball to Purdue, which all but ensured NU’s defeat.
Foul shots played another large part in the Cats’ downfall. They made just 9-of-17 attempts from the charity stripe, whereas the Boilermakers hit 10-of-12 shots at the line.
This game can be chalked up as another missed opportunity for NU. The Cats have now led 11 games at halftime, yet have ended up victorious in just four of those contests.
Still, McKeown was encouraged by his undersized squad’s play, particularly on the defensive end.
“I thought we played really well defensively,” he said. “We didn’t let them dominate the glass with their size.”
