Women’s Basketball

With open space around her, Ashley Deary pulled up and sank a 15-foot jumper. After Northwestern’s next possession, where she came off of a screen and nailed a three, Western Michigan called a timeout, the team’s only effective defense against the junior guard.

Deary set a new career-high with 25 points, shooting 10-of-13 in the Wildcats’ 86-62 win over the Broncos on Sunday. She added 12 assists, also a career-high, and only turned the ball over twice.

“She’s one of the best point guards in college basketball. She just does everything,” coach Joe McKeown said. “Whatever she needs to do for us to win she now brings to the table.”

Deary was particularly active in the first half. She had 19 points and went 3-of-4 from three-point range before the break, sparking NU in an otherwise sluggish two quarters.

The Cats committed four turnovers before halftime and, outside of Deary, shot just 30.7 percent from the field and went 0-of-9 from beyond the arc.

“Every now and then you just have to get each other going, and get energy, and just play off each other,” she said. “I was happy I could do that for my team.”

Deary also made an impact on the defensive end. She twice stole the ball and raced down the floor for layups, grabbed a loose ball rebound despite her 5-foot-4 frame and drew a charge in the fourth quarter with NU leading by 20.

For McKeown, who compared Deary to Hall of Fame point guard Dawn Staley, Deary’s ability to impact the game in a variety of ways is what makes her so special.

“She doesn’t have to score; she’ll get it done defensively sometimes,” he said. “She’ll get the ball to the right people at the right time. She’ll guard the other team’s best player.”

Despite Deary’s double-double on Sunday, senior guard Maggie Lyon firmly believes defense is what sets Deary apart.

“She just has that mentality that no one is going to pass her, that nobody can play against her,” Lyon said. “She can (defend) any player in the country. I’d put her against anybody.”

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Twitter: @ckpaxton