Beth Marshall couldn’t stand the view from the bench. After notching a game-high 14 points in the first half, the junior guard was forced to watch from her seat on the sidelines as the Wildcats blew a 17-point lead at the start of the second stanza. Two minutes into the period Duquesne guard Vanessa Abel crossed-over Marshall at the top of the key and she immediately collapsed to the ground in pain. Marshall, who tore her left ACL last year, clutched her left knee as she hobbled off the court. With Northwestern’s emotional leader out, the Dukes went on an 11-1 run.
But Marshall refused to be a witness. She re-entered the game three minutes later, scoring 11 more points and leading NU to a 79-72 win in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament. It was the Cats’ first postseason victory in 14 years.
“I felt a little weak coming back,” Marshall said. “But you’ve got to play with your heart, forget about your injuries.”
Marshall has recorded several superb performances in her first full season since the 2006-07 campaign, but Thursday may have been her best all-around game. She led NU (17-14) with 25 points, five assists and two steals. Coming into the contest, the Cats were 6-2 when Marshall hit three or more shots from beyond the arc and the trend continued agaisnt Duquesne (20-12). Marshall nailed six treys on Thursday, leading NU to an 8-of-11 mark from downtown.
“She’s made big plays all year,” coach Joe McKeown said. “She has ice water.”
Marshall led the way as NU throttled Duquesne in the first half. She recorded three assists and went 4-of-5 from 3-point range. Meanwhile the Dukes struggled with the Cats’ size, and they spent most of the period on the perimeter. But Duquesne’s shots weren’t falling and it finished the first half 3-of-15 from outside. After sophomore forward Brittany Orban tipped in a Meshia Reed shot to end the opening period, NU went into the locker room with a 16-point advantage.
The Dukes were down but not out.
Duquesne came out firing after intermission, outscoring NU 24-8 in the first 10 minutes. Midway through the half the Dukes had put up nine 3s and 19 shots from the field.
“If you’re down 16, when you’re open shoot the ball,” Duquesne coach Suzie McConnell-Serio said.
While Duquesne shot only 37 percent from the field in the second period, it pulled down 16 offensive boards and outrebounded NU 26-13. The Dukes were able to capitalize on their domination in the paint, notching 16 second-chance points. The Dukes’ shot-barrage tied the game at 51 with 10 minutes to play, but that’s when Marshall and junior center Amy Jaschke took over. The duo combined to score 12 of the game’s next 19 points, killing any of Duquesne’s momentum.
“You’re dissapointed when you’re allowing them back in,” McKeown said. “But you’re also proud of your team for being able to come right back at them. It showed the fortitude of our team.”
The Dukes pulled within three with 33 seconds left, but Orban and freshman forward Kendall Hackney each sunk a pair of free throws to put the game away. Even after getting outscored 45-36 in the second half, the Cats managed to come away with a win.
“I learned a long time ago that in March if you win by one that’s what matters,” McKeown said.
Two years removed from a season in which it won a single conference contest, NU advances to the second round of the NIT. The Cats will face another Atlantic-10 conference foe, St. Bonaventure, on Monday.
“It speaks volumes about what coach McKeown has done here in two years,” Jaescke said. “He’s turned the program around and brought it to a postseason tournament. It’s a sign of what’s to come.”
